Wrath of the Waesf Aleurs
by Witts-End
Summary: Ichigo's heart thumped against her chest as she pressed her back against the cold, hard wall. A cold sweat stuck to her like a second skin. Her black tail curled in apprehension between her legs. She'd never seen Kish like this before.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"I'm telling you. This plan will work! As long as the sacrifice takes place at the winter solstice we can leave! We can find a new planet! Start a new life! Raise our children with out fear! All we need are the mews!" The smaller of two shrouded figures exclaimed as they stood facing a low, white, marble stone that glimmered silver in the light of the planet's three moons. The taller of the two nodded, but the smaller must've seen some sort of hesitation in his features.

"Genri?"

"I don't know Sensana. A lot could go wrong. We need transportation, a means of a quick and easy evacuation, silence from our own and the mews, and all of this under the noses of our oppressors! It just… it just seems to good to be true, and so much could go wrong…"

"If everything goes according to my plan, none of that will be an issue." The smaller replied dismissively.

The taller one sighed, looking up to the moons, regret, worry, and overall fear reflected in deep onyx orbs.

"I hope you're right Sensana."

A/N:

Tokyo Mew Mew fan fiction written solely for my friend. Apparently there are no good TMM fanfics out there, so if you know one, please let me know so I can tell her. Otherwise, this is loosely based off Aliens, I do not own any of the characters, and the fan fiction does not have an official genre yet. I'm playing around with Sci-Fi seeing as there's aliens, and suspense because that's what I'm trying to get better at writing. Also, please leave constructive criticism comments. I'm especially working to make battle scenes more detailed and informative, and more alive, so please let me know how I'm doing on that. If you don't want to review, that's also fine. I will not be one of those authors who demands reviews in order for the story to continue. I mostly write for the enjoyment of writing and sharing. If you wish to flame, by all means feel free to. It will not affect me because, as said earlier, I write for myself and the enjoyment of my friends.

Any way, thanks to those who clicked and decided to give this story a try. I've got it most of the way planned out all the way to the climax, but please expect reviews to be inconsistent. I'm a very busy person, and writing is something I do in my free time.

I would also like to apologize for the lack of editing. I do not yet have a beta reader, and promise to post an edited version later.


	2. The Bearer of Bad News

Chapter 1

The Bearer of Bad News

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

A stark white hand shot out from under a mountain of pink covers and pillows to silence the blaring alarm clock with more force than necessary. It shut off immediately with a dull whimper. The hand withdrew back under the mountain, that shuddered then began to fall away, unearthing a disheveled redheaded girl beneath. The girl sat up slowly, blearily rubbing her eyes and glaring at the sun that peaked around her frilly pink curtains. Mondays were the worst.

Ichigo slipped out from under the covers onto her soft, fluffy, carpet by the bed. Stretching her arms above her head, as if accepting something divine from the world above, she yawned widely, feeling a satisfying pop in her back as her muscles loosened to accommodate the movements of a new day. With her morning stretch out of the way, she walked across her room to the door, swinging it open when her hand made contact with the brass knob, into her sun lit hallway. The aroma of bacon and eggs cooking down stairs under the careful eye of her mother nearly made her drool. Thinking of the glorious feast waiting for her down stairs, she quickly walked into the bathroom, took care of her morning business and shower, then made a quick job of brushing her teeth. That done, she pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. She used to consistently do pig tails, but after a while it became too cumbersome, so she settled for the simpler hairstyle. With her teeth brushed and her hair done, she went back to her room to change into her new school uniform. Today was her first day of high school. She gazed upon the blue and white sailor girl uniform for a moment with fondness before shedding her pin-stripped pajamas for the more appropriate clothing. Once changed, she picked up a picture on her bedside table depicting her and her boyfriend, Masaya Aoyama, a very nice and caring Japanese boy with deep black hair and large, soft, amber eyes.

"Good morning, Masaya." Ichigo smiled, giving the portrait a soft kiss before dashing around the room to pack all of her new school supplies.

Packed and ready, she took the stairs two at a time, flipping on the fourth to last, and landing in a perfect crouch on the first floor. She then skipped merrily into the kitchen, greeting her mother and father as she sat down at the table. The moment she took her seat, her mother placed a plate of fluffy, steaming, yellow eggs, and crisp bacon, down in front of her followed by a glass of milk.

"Thank you." Ichigo smiled brightly, instantly picking up her fork and diving in.

"You're welcome, Sweet Heart." Her mom, a delicate, kind looking woman, replied, returning to the stove.

"Are you working at that café today?" Her father, a middle aged man with thick black hair, asked as he set aside his iPad in which he was reading the daily news.

Ichigo quickly swallowed a mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah, Mondays are usually the busiest." This was an understatement. The café was usually packed with people, for it was a popular hang out for girls all over the town, but Ichigo and her friends rarely ever worked their cover jobs as waitresses Even though the aliens had left a little less than two years ago, chimeras kept popping up and terrorizing the town.

"Have you heard from Masaya lately?" Her mother asked, setting down breakfast platters for herself and her husband.

Ichigo, who had been about to take a bite of bacon, set it back down as a lump rose in her throat.

"No." She replied softly. She hadn't heard from him in about a week now. He must be busy. Masaya had decided to travel abroad for his studies, and was currently studying in England. Usually, he tried to send her an email or text her every morning to wish her a good day, then call her at night for a few minutes to chat, but, she hadn't heard from him. It wasn't unusual for a long silence when he was hard at work on his studies. He was a very serious student, much more so than she was. Therefore, she wasn't particularly worried. She just missed the sound of his voice.

"He's probably just busy with his studies." She replied, voicing her thoughts to her parents.

"Ah, yes, endangered animals. Isn't he working at the London Zoo?" Her Mom inquired.

Ichigo nodded, nibbling at the end of a piece of bacon.

"Have you decided what you want to do yet?" Her Dad asked, quirking a brow.

Ichigo's cheeks reddened with shame and embarrassment. She already had a full time job trying to protect the world, but it wasn't like she could tell her parents that. She remembered once, about a year ago, having finally worked up the courage to tell them when she heard them in the TV room heatedly complaining about the property damages and lock of government control over the Mews, and how they really thought of them being nothing but school children trying to play up the role of super hero and failing miserably. She'd decided not to tell them that she was the leader of the group after that.

"No." She repeated, not meeting her parent's eyes.

"Well, play to what you like." Her mother said bracingly, "But don't worry Honey, you still have plenty of time to think about that.

Ichigo smiled sheepishly at her mother.

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence, except for the clinking of glasses and forks against the plates.

"Would you like me to drive you to school for your opening ceremony?" Her Mom asked, standing up to clear the table.

"Oh, no, that's all right, I promised my friends I'd walk with them."

"Alright, but be careful. Don't get any where near those mews."

Ichigo forced a laugh around the painful blow, "Of course not Mom." And with that she got up from the table, picked up her school bag, and headed for the front door were her shoes were placed waiting for her.

Slipping her feet into her shoes, she wished her parents a good day, and walked out the door.

The suns rays draped her in warmth as if apologizing for waking her. Birds flew above, in and out of the still, summer ripe, green trees, as a gentle breeze picked up to carry them in flight.

Ichigo closed the gate to her house, listening to the quiet buzz of the Cicadas in the trees. When it snapped closed, she strolled off down the street in the direction of the park she and her friends used to spend every afternoon at before she became Mew Ichigo. She sometimes wished she could go back to those times and live a normal life. One in which her major concern was what school she'd be trying to get, whether she was living up to Masaya's expectations, interested in the new brands of clothing and make up, and especially one with out so much lies.

Ichigo let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. In retrospect, becoming a Mew had changed a lot of her outlook on life. With so many near death experiences in battle, she was extremely grateful for what she had. She'd also become more rational with her decisions, and even more concrete with what she considered to be important. Her parents had remarked with pride on this change, attributing it to their parenting. She did not dare to correct them on this take.

Her musing had carried her all the way to the park were she found her two best friends since childhood swinging languidly on the park's swings. The girl with shoulder length black hair and dark eyes was Yuki Monoyasha. Ichigo had met her in primary school when she'd tripped and accidently spilt pudding all over her. The other girl, Momo Hatsuki, had been her friend for longer than she could remember. Momo had long strawberry blonde hair, though it used to be puffy and shoulder length, with sparkling blue eyes. By the end of last year she'd begun to receive as many as three love letters a day from various boys in their year hoping for a date. It also helped that she had developed rather quickly.

"Morning Ichigo!" They called, waving enthusiastically when they caught sight of her.

"Hey!" She greeted, taking the last few feet at a run, "How are you guys?"

Yuki dug her heels into the ground, sliding the swing to a stop with the resounding crunch of gravel. Momo, on the other hand, took a more spectacular dismount. At the highest arc of the swing, she leaped gracefully into the air, her strawberry locks rustling behind her like a delicate sash caught in the wind, and struck a perfect landing.

"Have a good summer at gymnastics camp then?" Ichigo grinned. Last year Momo had taken an interest in the sport and found that she was a natural. She was instantly accepted onto the middle school team and helped to take the school to the championships.

"Yep." Momo grinned.

"I still don't know why you went for gymnastics." Yuki remarked snidely, "Karate does much more for you in the long run."

"Aw, come one Yuki, You know I'm not nearly as tough as you." Momo pouted. She then muttered something about not wanting the unwelcome attention of the guys.

Yuki and Ichigo laughed. Momo did actually seek a lot of attention, mostly as a result of her parents being in the middle of a divorce. However, Ichigo and Yuki would never bring up the subject unless Momo wanted to talk about it. All three of them had an unspoken agreement: never pry into a subject the other did not want to talk about. Therefore, Yuki and Ichigo exchanged a worried glance but said nothing more on the matter.

"What about you, Yuki? How was your summer?" Ichigo asked as the other two girls picked up their bags to begin the trek to school.

"Boring." Yuki replied with a shrug, "My Mom wanted me to take summer school so I could get ahead with math, so I spent about four hours learning Algebra everyday."

"Oh fun." Momo replied sarcastically.

"Yuck." Ichigo said in response.

"You?" They asked of Ichigo.

"Busy." Ichigo conceded, "I spent four weeks in England with Masaya and his family."

"Oh! How is dear Ma-sa-ya?" Yuki exclaimed, drawing out his name in a mock impersonation of Ichigo.

"Yes, Mas-a-ya." Ichigo emphasized, rolling her eyes, "He was doing well last I saw him. He's currently working under a zoologist studying endangered species."

"Always the environmentalist." Momo chuckled, "Is he enjoying the work?"

"Very much. Before school he goes to the zoo to help feed and turn out the animals, then goes back after school to study and help tend to them. He sent me a picture of a baby Komodo dragon he watched hatch. Here, look." She pulled out her phone and thumbed through her images until she found the one of Masaya holding a newly hatched Komodo dragon.

"Oh it's so cute!" Yuki exclaimed, ripping the phone from Ichigo's hands.

"And slimy." Momo added.

"Thank you oh observant one." Ichigo drawled.

"Any time." Momo grinned.

"Aw he's even gotten to feed Ocelots! That's my favorite animal!" Yuki groaned, flicking through the pictures, "I'm so envious!"

"That's only a few." Ichigo told them proudly, "I've got loads more of these kinds of photos back home"

"Yeah, yeah, so what else did you do with your summer?" Yuki asked, handing Ichigo back her phone.

"Worked." Ichigo replied truthfully.

"I hope you're making a lot of money. You're definitely working hard enough." Momo said seriously.

"I'm just confused how she got a job at such a young age." Yuki frowned, "Normally students can't get jobs unless they're sixteen."

"Mr. Akasaka believes younger kids should get work experience early." Ichigo lied with a well place shrug to prove her indifference on the matter.

"But Ichigo, aren't there laws against child labor?" Momo asked with a look of concern.

"I think that's only if it's forced." Yuki supplied.

"Yeah, but even my parents say there's something weird about that."

Ichigo sighed. Brushing a loose hair behind her ear she addressed the issue, "I've had this job since seventh grade. My parents are fine with it and I like being there. Why is that such an issue now?"

Her two friends were quiet a moment as they mulled over what she'd said.

"Maybe you two should apply there." Ichigo continued innocently, in a light and playful tone, "It's great pay."

They all laughed as they walked through the gates of the high school.

Ichigo sat between Momo and Yuki as the principal of the high school greeted the hundreds of freshmen, droning on and on about the promise for their futures through this school, the school's policies, and how it was ultimately up to each individual to make would they could've of this tremendous change. All in all, it had been rather boring so far and Ichigo wished she had stayed home and slept in instead. With that thought, her mind further began to wonder. She wondered what Masaya was up to in England that he was so busy he couldn't contact her. She wondered what animals he was currently working with, and then her mind wandered to her fellow Mews.

Zakuro Fujiwara, the eldest of the Mews, worked as a model and would be going to college for the first time this year. She was tall, well built, with long dark black hair that almost looked purple, or at least it was when she transformed. Her eyes were also dark, making her look cold and indifferent most of the time but Ichigo and her fellow Mews knew she was protective and actually quite caring for her group, much like the grey wolf she shared DNA with. She wondered how Zakuro was liking Nagasaki University. Zakuro had, after all, been sent scholarship after scholarship for modeling, and had been offered enormous sums of money from the states, but had refused to leave Japan. She had been worried about leaving her team because they would then be missing one of their members. This especially affected their friend Mint.

Mint Aizawa greatly idolized Zakuro. She initially came off as spoiled and snobbish to Ichigo when they had first met, for she came from an extremely wealth family, but as they got to know each other, Ichigo discovered that the black haired, brown-eyed girl was actually an extremely empathetic person who cared deeply for her friends. She shared DNA with the blue lorikeet. This year, Mint would be going to an elite private school and had recently won her last ballet competition. Ichigo wondered vaguely if she was also sitting through a boring entrance ceremony. Did private schools even have those?

Her thoughts then shifted to a certain green haired, blue-eyed girl, their friend Lettuce Midorikawa, who shared DNA with a Finless Porpoise. It wasn't a surprise, therefore, that Lettuce had joined her school's swimming club. What was surprising was that despite being able to easily blow her competition out of the waters, Lettuce refused to, often coming in second or third place. Ichigo knew her green haired friend was under confident and extremely shy, but she had hoped that after their battle with Deep Blue she would've gained more confidence.

Then, there was Pudding Fong, their cute, hyperactive friend who shared DNA with the Golden Lion Monkey. Despite being the youngest, she was the only Mew to be raising her entire family of five siblings while her Dad was off training for something or other in the mountains. She'd never mentioned anything about her mother, and the rest of them felt too awkward to bring it up. Despite all she had to deal with though, the small blonde girl was endlessly cheerful and always managed to bring a smile to the groups' faces.

Last, but not least, there was Berry Shirayuki, the newest member of the group who shared DNA with two animals: the Andes Mountain Cat and an Amami Black Rabbit. Apparently, during the one year she'd studied abroad, Berry had been made the leader in her absence when the issue with the Saint Rose Crusaders had arisen. However, when everything had quieted down, the quiet blonde had chosen to spend a majority of her time with her boyfriend, Tasuku, so they rarely saw her except for missions.

"Ichigo." She felt a sharp jab at her side that made her jump.

"Wha – What? I was paying attention! I swear!" She exclaimed, receiving a look of incredulity from her friends and a round of murmurs.

"Right…" Yuki said doubtfully, "We need to go get our home room numbers then head there to receive our schedules."

"But you would know that because you were paying attention right?" Momo grinned knowingly.

Ichigo's face flushed bright pink as they shuffled to the front of the auditorium.

Ichigo sat down with Yuki in classroom 1 - C. They'd been disappointed to find out they'd been divided up by last names, therefore keeping Momo from being in the same homeroom as them.

"Think she'll be alright?" Yuki asked, taking the seat next to her as their fellow students filed into the classroom; pausing at the door to look at the sheet of paper in their hands, then at the room number, then back to the paper to double check before finally walking in and picking a seat.

"She'll be fine." Ichigo yawned, stretching in the chair, "She likes attention."

"Yeah, but it also makes her extremely uncomfortable." Yuki grumbled.

Ichigo shrugged in a nonchalant manner.

Yuki opened her mouth to say something in response but was interrupted as the teacher entered the room. She was short, dark haired, and walked in an uptight, brisk manner. She wore heels to add a bit of height and kept her hair in a tight bun. She set down a pile of books she'd been carrying in her arms on the desk at the front of the room, opened a drawer, and put on a pair of pencil thin glasses. She then turned to the black board and began to write.

The entire classroom was silent. The woman had yet to say anything to them, but her very presence seemed to demand silence and the upmost respect.

She set the chalk down and turned to the rest of the class.

"Good morning," she said in an even, steady voice, "I am Ms. Akiye Nasiru. I have worked at this school for thirteen years teaching English Literature, and in case any of you are worried about my competency," he eyes lingered on the male spectrum of the class, "I am a graduate of Harvard University in the United States. My class is offered only for juniors and seniors, so you do not yet have to worry about taking it. Now, with that out of the way I'd like to assign a seating chart, pass out your schedules, and with the remaining time, have everyone introduce themselves along with their favorite past time activity."

Mrs. Nasiru gave a jerk of her head, silently indicating for the class to stand as she picked up a seating chart. She then began to walk up and down the rows of desks, calling out names and pointing the students to their assigned seats.

"Momomiya, Ichigo." Ms. Nasiru called, tapping the desk closest to the door.

Ichigo quickly took her seat, inwardly thanking Ms. Nasiru for putting her with in easy access of the door. It would make running out to do her job all the more easier.

Yuki was seated four desks behind her, and the entire class sat silently until the last student was seated. The silence continued as the teacher went back to her desk, picked up a separate stack of papers, then began to pass those out to each of the students.

Ichigo thanked Ms. Nasiru politely when she received her schedule and shimmed it. She had gym first period, general science second, Japanese third, drawing and painting fourth, Algebra 1 fifth, lunch, world geography sixth, Japanese history seventh, and English eighth. Well, hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as middle school.

"Madoka, Shingo, would you please start us off?"

A tall, spikey, black haired boy stood up.

"I'm Madoka, Shingo, and I enjoy playing basketball." He announced, sounding like he'd much rather be playing the sport than sitting in this classroom. He sat back down and began doodling on the back of his schedule.

The next boy, a boy with wispy, sandy hair and lots of freckles, stood up.

"I'm Masahiro, Hitomi and I enjoy watching anime."

AS another student stood up, Ichigo felt her phone vibrate. Her hand instantly jumper to her skirt pocket, pressing the phone at random to silence the ringer. She still didn't know Ms. Nasiru's policies on cell phones, and sure as hell did not want to be the guinea pig to find out. As silently and inconspicuously as she could, she opened her phone to answer the text message she had received. It was from Momo asking her about her schedule with a list of hers following: first period, Algebra 1, second English, third general science, fourth theater, lunch, then fifth Japanese, world geography sixth, gym seventh, and Japanese history eighth. Ichigo quickly replied that they had world geography together before snapping her phone shut and slipping it back into her pocket.

"I'm Misao, Hime and I enjoy dancing." A girl with straight brown hair and an air of confidence greeted the class.

Ichigo's phone buzzed again, but this time it was Zakuro asking how school was going. She could almost hear the sarcasm through the message. The entire summer Zakuro had been trying to scare them with horror stories of her freshmen year. Ichigo rolled her eyes before replying that it had been going very well for the first two hours she'd so far spent in the school. She then finished up the message by asking how Zakuro was liking college. When the message sent she stuffed the phone back in her pocket to take her turn and not look like she'd not been paying attention.

"I'm Momomiya, Ichigo and I like baking." She announced. Her phone buzzed in her pocket again, but now she couldn't answer it until the end of her row with out arousing suspicion. A feat that proved much more easily said than done. She felt unease claw at her insides as one text followed another. What if one was from Ryou? What if I chimera report had just come in?

_"Stop it."_ She told herself firmly, _"Since when have you become so dependent on your phone?"_

In her pocket, her fingers trailed over her cell phone charm, a small pink ball of fluff looking creature with large pink eyes, wings, and a tail. The charm was actually a robot used to detect the presence of aliens. Masha, the name she'd christened the small robot, had remained quiet, meaning that all activity chimera related was zero.

Finally, the last student in her class was called on, and when he sat down the bell rang. Ichigo quickly grabbed her bag and was the fist one out in the hall. There, she pulled out her phone to see a message from Zakuro, Momo, and Yuki. Good, it was nothing important.

"What class do you have now?" Yuki asked, coming up from behind her.

Ichigo jumped, dropping her phone.

"Don't do that!" She gasped, bending down to retrieve the small electronic, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah, yeah." Yuki replied, waving her hand dismissively, "What's your first period?"

"Gym." Ichigo told her with a groan.

"What are you complaining about?" Yuki questioned as they began to walk down the hall, "I have geometry first period."

"At least it doesn't expect you to be active first thing in the morning." Ichigo retorted.

Yuki cast her a contemplating, side ways look.

"What?"

"It's just weird. You used to be such a morning person."

The rest of her classes passed more or less the same as homeroom. Each teacher began by taking role, assigning a seating chart, then passing out a policy sheet. After that, they introduced themselves and gave the class a quick run through of what they could expect to see that year.

Ichigo quickly got bored with the repeated mantra and caught herself beginning to glaze over half way through her Japanese class. It was when she was on her way to her art class that it happened. Masha began fluttering her wings in her pocket, warning, "Alien alert! Alien alert!" Ichigo quickly changed course, eyes darting up and down the hall for a secluded place she could change form. That place appeared around the second corner with a sign that indicated the girls' bathroom. Ichigo raced inside and into a stall, tucked her school bag behind the toilet, then pulled out a small, golden, oval shaped pendant. This pendant was the catalyst to her transformation. Cupping it gingerly in both hands, she kissed it, and like a floodgate releasing its waters, she felt the wellspring of her power surge through her body.

"Mew Mew Ichigo! Metamorpha-sis!" She declared, and in a flash of blinding pink light, she changed. Two furry black cat ears grew from the top of her red hair that was quickly fading to a bright pink. Her school uniform was replaced by a frilly pink dress, and on her hands, red gloves appeared as well as red, knee high boots on her feet. A pink, red-laced choker appeared around her neck, the pendant dangling from it like a nametag on a pet's collar. Then, to complete the transformation, a long black cat tail with a red ribboned golden bell appeared and in Ichigo Momomiya's place stood the one and only Mew Ichigo.

She slowly opened her eyes, revealing bright pink orbs in place of her usual hazel irises.

Masha flew out from nowhere, fluttering next to her ear.

"Where's the chimera Masha?"

She landed at the Tokyo Pier were her fellow Mews were already in a full out battle with a sickly colored squid looking creature. Its tentacles waved furiously in the air, striking at the Mews like they were pesky flies as they wove in and out of its reach.

"Nice of you to join us." Mint smirked, landing lightly on the ground next to her. Mint's transformation, like Ichigo's, kept to one color scheme, blue. Her dark, neatly kept hair had turned a navy blue as well as changed the color or her eyes. Her dress was a light blue, outlined in navy blue fringe. She also showed signs of her DNA counterpart with two small blue wings that sprouted from the base of her shoulders.

"Sorry, it took me a while to get out of school." Ichigo apologized, "What's the situation?"

"It appears to be a sea based chimera with little to no mixing of DNA besides that of the parasitic alien, but it's still pretty dangerous. Those tentacles are nearly as hard as a rock, not to mention the suckers are poisonous. I found that out when it grabbed me earlier." She showed Ichigo her upper arm were her arm band hand been ripped off leaving an area of inflamed red skin and pus boiling up along with spots of blood were the skin had actually been torn.

"Oh my gosh! Mint! Are you ok!"

"I'm fine." Mint replied rolling her shoulders, "It's nothing I can't handle. More importantly, we need to come up with a plan to beat this guy."

Ichigo finally gave the scene in front of her her fullest attention. Pudding, dressed in a yellow and orange tight fitting dress with small orange monkey ears and tail, was fighting in close combat, jumping and leaping like a gymnast, using the chimera's tentacles as a spring board. Lettuce, decked out in green with the only hint of sharing DNA coming from two long antennas that interwove with her hair, was trying to help from a long range basis, throwing her weapons like boomerangs, in an attempt to most likely help direct the attention from Pudding. Berry, the white member had an outfit similar to Ichigo's, but differed in the two white Bunny ears that protruded from her long blonde hair, and the white cat tail that twirled around helping her balance as she sized up opportunities then jumped forward to stab at the creature before leaping away to maintain a safe distance.

"Where's Zakuro?" Ichigo asked, noticing they were short one team mate.

Mint didn't answer immediately. She had cocked her bow and pulled out an arrow from a sheath she kept strapped to her back, a new addition. She locked the arrow into place then waited for a fraction of a second before firing. A stream of blue shot with quick precision, hitting a tentacle that would've otherwise sent Pudding straight into the roaring waters.

"She has college." Mint replied in an exasperated tone, "Not to mention she's hours away from here. You can't expect her to be able to get here on a moments notice."

"Right, sorry." Ichigo closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. The chimera was water based, dangerous to get near, and they were short a key member of their team. What to do…

Ichigo lurched forward like she'd been struck from behind, her eyes wide.

"Mint, can you keep the chimera distracted while staying here? I've got a plan."

Mint threw her a sideways look.

"What sort of plan?"

"I'll explain when everyone's over here, but right now I need a diversion so I can talk to everyone."

Mint looked doubtful, but nodded an affirmative as she pulled another arrow from the sheath and locked it into place.

"On my signal." Ichigo ordered, "Three. Two. One." She grabbed a hold of her pendant, a sign Ryou had developed for any of them to call attention to their comrades in battle. It grew warm under her fingers and she knew it had worked when the rest of the Mews jumped entirely away from the Chimera and made a beeline for her. Almost as soon as the Mews had dropped the battle, Mint began firing, both to keep the chimera from escaping and to keep it at bay.

"I have a plan!" Ichigo said quickly as soon as everyone was with in earshot. "Lettuce, because the chimera has such a strong outer layer it's probably weak underneath. Therefore you should transform and take it from below. Pudding, you're the fastest and most athletic. I'm counting on you to keep its attention from Lettuce so she can perform a sneak attack. Meanwhile, Berry and I will help as well. If we can combine our power we might be able to weaken its outer defenses. Mint, we need you to be our outer eyes and shoot down anything that would jeopardize us. Got it?"

They all nodded, some of them looking stunned.

"Good. Lettuce, we're counting on you. Mew Mews split!"

Mint sent a shower of arrows as a cover for the rest of the girls to get back into the fray. Pudding was the first, taking a leap off the pier like it were a trampoline, flipped, and land delicately on one of the tentacles. Another sprung out of the water, aiming like a needle with accurate precision to the back of her head. A blue arrow intercepted the appendage, knocking it off course and giving the youngest Mew time to leap to the safety of another tentacle.

Ichigo and Berry ran side by side, holding Ichigo's staff in between them as they let power flow into the object. They jumped and dodged as stray and thrashing tentacles crash landed on the shore, courtesy of Mint's arrows.

"See a spot yet?" Ichigo panted, watching Lettuce dive into the water out of the corner of her eye.

Berry pushed Ichigo out of the way as another jerking tentacle crashed into the spot they'd just been in moment before. They then leaped backwards as another one crashed before them.

"We can try the top." The half cat, half bunny, replied, her large ears swiveling anxiously to catch the sounds of battle.

"Good idea." The two of them then directed their attention to the center stage, taking a running leap and joining Pudding on the slimy platforms.

"We might have a problem getting to the head!" Ichigo yelled over the roar of the chimera.

"The two of them sprung from their perch as the tentacle made a sudden drop into the water, sending a wave up and over onto the land.

"Let's try from here!"

Sending a sudden burst of energy into the staff, it transformed, resembling the shape of a very large spear. The two of them pounced, driving the weapon into the shell layer, pushing with as much momentum and power as they could. The Chimera roared, aiming to swat at them, but they jumped away seconds before it could reach them. Ichigo's eyes narrowed. They'd only managed to make a small dent in its armor.

"Again!" Berry yelled, her brow furrowed with determination.

They pushed off, used another tentacle as leverage to propel them forward, and stabbed the monster again. Ichigo grit her teeth. They had not managed to hit the same spot, making the new blow completely useless. They dodged another attempt to flatten them and struck again. Again it was a new spot.

"Keep going!" Pudding called, cart wheeling past them, "Lettuce should almost be there!"

Ichigo and Berry nodded, hard determination dominating their features. In synch they jumped out of the way of another attack, caught out of the corner of their eye, the blast of an arrow hitting its target. They were just about to strike again when they heard a long slow rumble. The kind of sound they'd expect to hear from something large, like a titan, waking from a long slumber. It traveled up from the water, through the chimera, and shook the Mews were they stood. Ichigo's eyes widened in realization.

"Every body get back!" She warned.

With out a moment to spare, they leaped to safety, watching as the chimera bloated like a balloon, then with a sickening crunch it was hurled up into the air.

Ichigo shielded her eyes with her fee hand from the cascading water, and was relieved to see Lettuce appear from beneath the pier's depths. Her hands were crossed in front of her in a defensive stance with her weapons, two green clam looking contraptions, open and smoldering. She was panting heavily, her frail frame shaking violently. Whatever attack she'd used, it had taken a lot out of her. They could not, would not, let her attack go to waste.

"Berry!" But all she needed to say was the other girl's name. They both knew what to do. Together, they broke into a dead run as the chimera began to experience the effects of gravity. Their timing was crucial. They could not miss.

As the chimera came closer to the water, Ichigo could see what she was hoping to see. Lettuce's attack had caused the protective skeleton to crack, leaving pockets of open, unprotected flesh.

"Now!" At the same time the two girls leaped forward and plunged the spear into the monster's flesh. Mint shot another arrow. The convulsion of power weld up inside the chimera until its cells were stretched past breaking point. It exploded, sending debris everywhere and covering the girls closest in black, sticky, blood.

Ichigo and Berry staggered back to land panting heavily, each using the other for support.

"We did it." Berry grinned as her knees buckled and they fell to the ground.

"Yeah." Ichigo gasped, falling beside her.

"That was some plan you came up with."

"Thanks."

Ichigo rolled onto her back, panting heavily as she stared into a cloudless blue sky.

"Are you guys ok?" Mint yelled, running to join them, Lettuce and Pudding at her heels.

"More or less." Berry replied shaking her blonde bangs out of her eyes.

"That was brilliant!" Pudding exclaimed, jumping upon Ichigo with a bone crushing hug, "I never knew you had it in you Granny!"

"Hey! I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult!" Ichigo exclaimed, "And I'm not that old!"

Pudding skirted out of her reach when Ichigo made to punch her, dancing on her toes as she yelled, "Granny! Granny! Great old Granny!"

"Well, everyone seems to still be pretty lively." Lettuce commented, wiping sweat from her brow.

"That was quite the attack you made back there. You look exhausted." Mint told her, worry marring her face.

Lettuce waved off her concern.

"I'd been practicing conserving pressure then expelling it like a geyser. I put a lot of my power into that attack. I'm just feeling drained."

"Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off." Mint suggested.

Lettuce chuckled half-heartedly.

"My Mom would kill me if I came home from school early… especially on the first day."

"Well, take it easy then."

"I will. I promise."

Ichigo returned to school ten minutes late for her sixth period. She stood at the sliding doorway of her world geography class, head bowed as the teacher, a heavy set man with a receding hair line and glasses, chewed her out. She took every word like a whipping, biting her lip to keep from screaming back and blowing her secret identity. When he was done he instructed her to take the only empty seat in the back, closest to the window, and luckily, right behind Momo.

Momo cast her a worried glance as she slid into the seat behind her.

"Are you ok?" She whispered, "You look like you've been through hell."

"I ate something bad at lunch. It upset my stomach." Ichigo lied evasively, but it was then that her stomach decided to giver a traitorous growl, earning her disapproving looks from her class mates and skepticism from her friend.

"We're talking after class." Momo stated evenly then turned back to the front of the room were the teacher was ranting about his classroom policies.

Ichigo slumped forward on her desk. She was exhausted from the battle, but most of all, she hated lying.

The rest of her day passed by uneventful. She managed to sit through the rest of her classes and was even glancing at the clock to find out when class ended. She'd managed to evade Momo's five minute interrogation, but she could tell her friend wasn't convinced.

Ichigo glanced at the clock during her last class of the day. She had about fifteen minutes until school was over, then another hour until her shift at the café began.

She fingered her phone in her pocket. Should she try to call him? Maybe stop by on the way to work to see how his family was doing? Well that second option seemed a bit stupid. She never visited his family with out him there any way. Would his parents think her weird if she did? Never mind, she'd just call.

Ichigo sighed in relief when she'd finally made it outside. School could really begin to feel like a prison if she were stuck inside for too long.

"Ichigo!" She turned to the sound of her friend's calls, greeting them enthusiastically.

"How did the first day go?"

"Well I started with a pre-test in geometry." Yuki said with a look of disgust.

"How do you think you did?" Mom asked, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair.

Yuki shrugged, "Probably terrible. It's a pre-test. That means it was everything we have never seen before. Mostly it's lots of shapes."

Momo laughed loudly.

"At least you'll know what to expect. Ichigo showed up late for our geography class.

Ichigo shot Momo a glare. She'd thought they'd settled this.

"Why were you late?" Yuki asked, looking at her incredulously.

"As I told Momo here, I got sick during the lunch period and was in the bathroom."

"That is what she told me." Mom confirmed, exchanging a look with Yuki.

"What?" Ichigo demanded.

"Well, they served lunch in homeroom today as a chance for the students to get to know each other better. You weren't there so Mrs. Nasiru asked for me to see if you were sick in the bathrooms or something. I checked all over the school, but you weren't in any of them.

"You mustn't have looked properly." Ichigo replied.

"Possibly, but I don't believe you were in the bathroom either, so where were you?"

Ichigo sighed, watching the sidewalk a moment while her brain worked for another cover up story, "Sorry, I wasn't really sick. I was just feeling overwhelmed with the new setting and new everything, so I snuck off to the roof during lunch. I figured if everyone was eating lunch at that time no one would miss me. However, I lost track of the time. You guys know how oblivious I can be." She smiled sheepishly and her two friends nodded sympathetically.

"There was no need to lie Ichigo. You're reason was perfectly understandable. Momo said, sounding slightly hurt.

"Sorry." Ichigo repeated.

"It's ok, it's just that we're friends and friends should be able to tell each other anything."

Ichigo bit back her retort of how Momo refused to tell them anything about how she was feeling about her parent's divorce. By the way Yuki scowled for a moment she could tell she was thinking the same thing. Momo seemed to have caught on to the cause of their lapse of silence.

"The divorce is official." She told them, brushing her hair behind her ear, "My Mom won custody of my brother and myself in court. We'll live with our father every other weekend starting when he moves out at the end of the week. I'm a little bit sad to see the family fall apart, but it's probably for the best. Now my parents can start over and finally be happy."

Her sudden account was met with a stunned silence from Ichigo and Yuki. The corners of Momo's mouth twitched upward in a half-hearted smile.

"Sorry it took me a while to talk about it. It took me even longer to accept what was happening."

"No… not at all…" Yuki and Ichigo murmured.

While they had been talking they'd made it to the park, marking the time for them to all go their separate ways.

Ichigo waved as she promised to meet them at the park the same time tomorrow morning then began the trek back to her house. Once the coast was clear, Masha emerged from her pocket to float by her shoulder.

Humming merrily to herself, Ichigo pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contact list. Finding Masaya's name, she hit the call button, hoping he wasn't currently in class.

She listened as the phone seemed to ring endlessly, with out any hint that some one would pick up on the other end. Feeling disappointed, Ichigo was about to hang up when the other end connected.

"Hello?" Answered a weary, sleep-deprived voice of a woman. It took Ichigo a moment to connect were she'd heard the voice, but then she quickly realized she was speaking to Masaya's mother. What was his mother doing with his phone?

"Hello, Mrs. Aoyama, this is Ichigo calling. Is Masaya around?"

Ichigo heard Mrs. Aoyama gulp then let out a long drawn out sigh. When she spoke, her voice was hitched and scratchy, making her sound as if she were about to cry.

"Ichigo… I am so, so sorry…. Masaya he… he and a group of friends were out riding their bikes a week ago. They were… were crossing the street when a drunk driver blew right past the stop sign and hit, hit Masaya. It was a hit and run. The driver never even stopped to see if my boy was ok. His friends rushed him to the hospital were he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and severe bleeding in the brain. We…" She took in a shuddering breath that made Ichigo more apprehensive than she already felt; "We just took him off life support a couple days ago! And he died! He died right there in my arms!"

The telephone fell from Ichigo's numb fingers as the woman on the other end let out a howl of anguish, screaming the tune of a tortured soul.

The world had ended, so how was it that the sun was still shining over head, embracing the earth with its warmth while she remained cold as ice? She dropped to her knees, staring numbly at the side walk beneath her. It couldn't be true! It couldn't! She'd just spoken to him a week ago! Then he'd been alive and healthy, telling her all about the zoo and its animals, and his life in England! How could he be dead?

"Ichigo." Masha whispered, fluttering down by her ear with a look of concern, but Ichigo was deaf to all that was around her.

Staggering, she stood back up, picked up her phone gingerly as if it carried the plague, curled her fingers around it, then took off running. She couldn't see where she was going for tears blurred her vision, but she didn't care. All she could do was run. Run to get away from the plaguing tragedy. She ran, numb to her aching muscles, numb to all feeling except the depression that threatened to engulf her if she stopped. She took a wrong step and her ankle protested viciously, sending her face first into the sidewalk. Yet, she did not get up. She lay there as floods of tears cascaded down her cheeks and screamed. The scream voiced all her anguish, her pain, her loss. She screamed and screamed, chocking on her own tears yet made not move to get up. It hurt so badly.

"Ichigo!" Her mom's voice barely registered to her, but the next thing she knew, she was pulled into the warm, familiar embrace of her mother. Needing something, anything, Ichigo flung her arms around her mother's neck and bawled like a small child into her mother's shoulder.

"There, there." Her mother whispered, massaging her back while she cried, "Baby, what happened?"

"He's dead." Ichigo chocked into her shoulder.

Ichigo's mom pulled back so she could get a good look at her daughter.

"Who's dead?"

Ichigo hiccupped as more tears formed, throwing her mother into the shape of a blurred outline.

"Masaya!" She wailed, flinging herself forward and back into her mother's arms, "He's dead!"

Her mother was still as the news sunk in, and then she pulled Ichigo tighter to her.

"Oh Baby." She whispered in a tone that carried more understanding than Ichigo was able to register in her current state.

Ichigo cried harder into her shoulder, not caring about the attention she was attracting from the neighbors, or the fact that she was going to be late for work if she didn't get a move on. All that mattered was that the boy who had stolen her affection was with her no more.

* * *

><p>AN:

Still no beta reader. Sorry for the inconvenience. I went through and edited the best I could. I have a friend who says she'll edit when she has time.

With Ichigo's friends, I went and researched her friends, and honestly I did not like their character design or development, so I went ahead and redesigned them, so if you're a huge TMM fan and you know that's not who her friends are in the series, that is why.


	3. Bleeding Heart

Chapter 2

Bleeding Heart

The next few days passed in a state of blank numbness. She didn't go to school, and rarely even left her room. It wasn't uncommon for her mother to walk in on her staring blankly at the portrait of her and Masaya or sitting quietly, tears dripping down her face as she stared listlessly out the window.

She felt like she was slowly being torn apart, from the inside out. Her heart seemed to beat less, or hardly even at all. She was frozen. Frozen in the icy grasp of despair. To even breath felt like shards of glass were ripping at her lungs and trachea. Her stomach constantly felt empty, like a black void.

That day, Ichigo was still in bed, the blankets pulled up to her shoulders as she lay on her side, the portrait clutched to her breasts like her life depended on it, like her heart had been ripped out and she was trying to push it back in.

"Ma-say-ah…" She chocked, curling even tighter around herself. A fresh tide of tears broke loose, spilling from her eyes and blotting her face before dripping onto the sheets.

A knock sounded at the door, announcing the presence of her mother as she cooed to her softly from the door.

Ichigo, if possible, curled even tighter around herself.

The door opened and she could hear the soft padding of her mother's feet against the carpet as she crossed the room. The bed sank as her mother added her weight to it and placed. She placed a comforting hand on the exposed part of Ichigo's shoulder.

"I've talked to the school and explained the situation." She told her in a soothing voice, "They're sympathetic to your loss and wish for you to take as much time as you need to mourn. Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama also called.

Ichigo's tears stalled and she rolled over to stare at her mother. It was almost like looking into a mirror they were so alike. The only difference, at the moment, was their eyes. Ichigo's eyes sparkled with tears and a void of bottomless numbness while her mother's hazel eyes were full of sympathy.

Her mother gave her a small, sad smile then leaned forward to wipe the tears from her eyes gently, with the pad of her thumb.

"Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama called to let you know that the funeral will be held this weekend. Right now they're planning an open casket funeral at the cemetery a few miles away. They thought," her mom squeezed her hand, sending the message of her endless love and support for her daughter before continuing, "They thought you might like to say goodbye."

Ichigo swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding silently as her eyes burned.

Her mother shifted so that she was lying next to her daughter and pulled her into her arms.

Ichigo didn't refuse, needing, craving, some form of comfort even though she knew there was nothing that could be done for her aching heart. By the time her father got home from work that evening, he found his wife and daughter in Ichigo's room. The elder woman was still awake, stroking her daughter's hair. Ichigo had cried herself to sleep.

The next day she still did not go to school, but it was like waking from a deep, dark slumber. It was the first time, in what felt like forever she'd stepped outside her room. Yet, the numbness remained. She no longer noticed the sun in the morning, the feeling of the soft carpet brushing against her bare feet, or even the warmth of the shower that used to caress her like an old friend.

Her mom was with her again that day, always close, always there. Somewhere deep down, beneath the numbing pain, Ichigo was extremely grateful for her mother's presence. Though she would never admit it, it somehow kept her grounded in reality.

She walked into the kitchen that morning, long after school had started and her dad had left for work. Her mother was at the kitchen table, stacks of paper in front of her and her laptop open, telecommuting from work so she could be there for Ichigo.

She looked up at the sound of her daughter's footsteps, a look of surprise washing over her face.

"Hey," Ichigo mumbled, her voice cracking from lack of use.

"How are you feeling?" Her mom asked, pushing the chair away from the table and standing up.

"Ichigo wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as if cold despite the fair weather of the day."

"Hungry." She confided, staring at the white tiled floor.

"Would you like to help me whip up some onigori?"

Ichigo nodded slowly and shuffled across the kitchen to the sink as her mother pulled out the necessary ingredients from the fridge. She turned the water on, hot as it would go, and thrust her hands beneath the scalding spray. Despite the steam and the fact that her hands were turning bright red under the burn, she couldn't feel it. She could hardly feel anything at all.

White angelic hands reached past her and turned the knob for the hot water off. With a soft, delicate touch, they wrapped around her numb fingers and drew them away from the sink's basin.

"Don't use all the hot water. We'll need that." Her mother reprimanded in a quiet voice. She placed a bowl into the now empty basin and turned the tab back on, filling the contents of the bowl.

"I know you don't want to hear this Ichigo, and it's incredibly cliché to say, but I do know how you feel."

A sudden wave of anger she couldn't place made her blood boil. That was most certainly not what she wanted to hear. How could her mom possibly understand the feeling of loss and abandonment she was experiencing? Then that feeling quickly died. She wasn't her mom. She didn't hold her past memories or even knew a great deal about her past for that matter. She slumped her shoulders, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

Her mother moved across the kitchen to the counter, set the bowl down, and added a favorable amount of salt to its contents. Ichigo followed.

"I was in my senior year of high school when I lost my best friend." Her mother said so softly that Ichigo thought she might've heard wrong. She looked up to see her mother shoot her a sad smile, "Her name was Karin." She continued, setting out another bowl of left over rice, "She was my friend since childhood. She was tall, gorgeous, and empathetic, and had a great sense of humor, popular too. She'd always been friends with everyone, but our senior year that changed. My guess is that people got jealous of her or hated her because she had everything they wanted; I think she also had some family problems going on that year, but I don't know. I just remember her being constantly depressed, changing day by day until she couldn't take it anymore. The night she killed herself she invited me over. We spent a majority of the night together, talking and laughing about old times, but then she thanked me whole-heartedly for being her friend for such a long time. I told her we'd always be friends no matter what.

"I left that night with her alive and smiling. The next day I received a call from her family saying that they'd found her hanging from her neck in the closet."

Ichigo's hands stilled over the rice she'd been bunching together.

"I… Mom… I never knew…"

Her mother chuckled humorlessly, wrapping a completed onigori in seaweed and placed it aside to start another.

"It was hard, Ichigo. I was so shocked and anguished that I felt I wanted to die too. It felt unfair to my friend that I was alive and well, graduating my senior year with your father, happier than I'd ever been, but she was dead. I couldn't understand her decision or why she'd done it."

She finished another rice ball and added it to the pile, "But," she continued, "I eventually was able to accept what had happened and move on. At times, her death still affects me. When ever you do something amazing or spectacular, or even manage to accomplish something that's been really hard for you, I find myself picking up the phone and be half way through dialing her number before I remember that there's no one to pick up on the other end." She whipped her hands on a dishtowel, turned, and hugged Ichigo close to her.

"Don't ever forget Masaya." Her tone had shifted from the light and reminiscent anecdote she'd told to edged in fierce determination, "Though you may not be able to see him he is always with you." Her Mom used her index finger, pocking Ichigo in the chest just above her heart, "He is here, along with everyone else that loves you. Don't you ever forget that."

Ichigo burst into a fresh wave of tears, abandoning the rice ball she'd been in the process of making, and flinging her arms around her mother as she bawled into her chest, again seeking comfort from the pair of arms that wrapped around her trembling form.

The rest of the day passed quietly while her mom sat in the kitchen working and Ichigo occasionally joined her to catch up on schoolwork. She cried less for the rest of the day. Somehow, knowing that her mother understood her pain made everything easier. It was like sharing an insurmountable burden.

That evening, Momo and Yuki dropped by to wish her their condolences. Apparently they'd been coming by since day one to see if she were all right, but her mother had told them it wasn't the right time. Ichigo thanked them politely, promising she'd be back at school as soon as the funeral was over then waved them off.

"Why are you looking so sad?"

Ichigo nearly jumped out of her seat. That voice… it couldn't be…

"Masaya?"

There he was, dark hair shining under the glare of the sun, wide brown eyes a light. He reached out and enfolded her hand in his. He was there before her, smiling, healthy, and very much alive.

"Masaya?" She repeated uncertainly, reaching out and cupping his cheek in her hand. It was warm and smooth, pulsing with life.

"Are you ok? You've been really upset." His eyes were focused solely on her, loaded with concern.

Ichigo stared at him blankly, feeling a familiar heat at the corners of her eyes.

"Ichigo, why are you so sad?" He pressed, using the pad of this thumb to brush away her unshed tears.

"Because you're dead." Ichigo whispered. She couldn't blink. Somehow if she closed her eyes for even a fraction of a second she would lose him again.

Masaya's face fell as he looked away.

"I know," he said, regret and sadness edging his voice.

"You left me." Ichigo's eyes were swimming with tears and her fingers wound tighter around his hand, "After always promising to protect me." Her other hand closed tightly over the bell chocker Masaya had given her on their second date. It had mysteriously appeared though she couldn't recall wearing it.

His hand tightened around hers as well, shaking with suppressed emotion.

"Ichigo." His soft yet serious tone drew her eyes back to his. He was gazing at her, water sparkling at the corners of his eyes but his jaw was set in a manner Ichigo recognized. It was a look of set determination, "I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry you will no longer be able to see me."

Ichigo's heart seemed to crumple before her. She scrunched her eyes against the impending pain, burning with despair until she felt the soft velvet tough of his palm rest against her chest, right over her bleeding heart. She swallowed and looked up to see him smiling fondly at her.

"I may no longer be where you can see me, but I will always be with you, Ichigo. I am apart of you." Ichigo gasped in horror as Masaya seemed to be fading. He was leaving her again!

"Masaya!" She cried, but fell silent as he pressed a glowing finger to her lips. His smile of bravado would've looked heroic if it had made it to his eyes. Instead, those large eyes were filled with pain.

"I am always with you Ichigo. After all, I am your Blue Knight." His last words faded out like a whisper in the wind, along with his image. Ichigo was left alone again, staring at the empty space he'd just disappeared into.

"Masaya?" She whispered hesitantly, hoping, praying that he would reappear before her, laughing gaily, taking her hand, and pulling her into an endless abyss of happiness. The seconds ticked by but he did not reappear.

"Masaya…" Ichigo's knees gave way, "MASAYA!"

"Masaya! Masaya! Masaya! MASAYA!"

"Ichigo!"

She was aware of the voice that screamed her name over and over, as if breaking through an invisible veil. She felt urgent hands grip her hip and shoulder, shaking her roughly. Reacting on instinct, she cried out, lashing wildly as a petrified sob left her throat.

"Ichigo!"

Her eyes flew open as her heart jackhammered in her throat. She felt trapped. She couldn't move. Her limbs were trapped against her torso. She fought even harder against the bindings, panicked sobs racking her throat; a cold sheen of sweat sticking to her body.

"Ichigo quit thrashing!" The voice of her father demanded.

She stilled instantly, large eyes making out the figures of her mother and father at her side, trying to unravel her from the bindings, which turned out to be her own blankets.

Heart still hammering in her chest, Ichigo sunk limply back into the mattress, not even bothering to wipe away the salty liquid that dripped from her eyes and matted her cheeks.

Her mother gently pulled the blankets out from under her and then her father tucked her back in again.

"It's ok Honey, you're safe." They whispered, but their reassurances fell on deaf ears as Ichigo continued to sob into the palms of her hands.

The next day Ichigo, again, found herself sitting on the windowsill, staring, like an outsider looking in, as the day progressed on the streets below.

She couldn't stop thinking about that dream. Had she really managed to speak with Masaya? But how? Had his spirit come to her to say goodbye? Like in the mangas? Or was she so driven into the wake of depression that she was shutting off and her mind was creating a new reality? One in which he would always be there… But that couldn't have been it. Even if it was a dream she saw him, talked with him. Her only conclusion was that Masaya had somehow managed to reach back through death in order to say goodbye to her. The idea seemed ludicrous. After all, she'd never heard of an event even close to what she'd experienced last night. Sure there were supernatural stories of hauntings but this just seemed so real, so close… but then there was the conversation. He had admitted her was dead. That thought felt like a sharp stake piercing her heart but she forced herself to move on, recounting everything he had said. As she recalled him always being with her as her Blue Knight, she stood from the window and relocated to her bed where she pulled the now finger printed portrait of the once happy couple from her bedside table. She stared at it. It was a surprise the image was not permanently burned into her corneas.

A knock sounded at her door, drawing her out of her endless musing as her mother walked in. She had dark shadows under her eyes for she had spent the rest of the night with her daughter, holding her as she cried herself to sleep.

"I need to go to the store. Would you like to come with?" Her mother asked.

Ichigo shook her head.

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged.

Her mother sighed, running her pale fingers through her hair.

"Would you like me to pick up anything for you?"

"Not particularly." Ichigo replied, her voice barely able to make it over a whisper.

"Ichigo, I've signed you up to meet with a psychiatrist. I think, I think they'll be able to help you through this traumatic experience more than your father or I can."

Ichigo jerked like she'd been slapped.

"No Mom! You and Dad have been great! It's just…" Ichigo trailed off as her mother shook her head slowly, a knowing look in her features.

"Hard?" Her mother finished.

Ichigo hung her head.

"Ichigo, your father and I are not abandoning you. We'll still be here no matter what happens, but if you see a doctor they can provide you with much more therapeutic measures than we can. After my friend died, I was on anti-depressants for a while." Ichigo looked up glumly at her mother, "There's nothing wrong with asking for help. It does not make you weak."

Ichigo nodded but remained silent.

Her mom opened her mouth to continue, seemed to have thought better of it, then turned to leave.

"Have you heard from Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama?" Ichigo asked, wrestling to keep her emotions in check.

Her mother stilled in the door way then turned around. She looked somber.

"They'll be back in Tokyo the day after next… Mr. Aoyama called to say that they've cremated the body. They changed their plans. They think Masaya would've liked to have his ashes scattered around the world in areas he planned to study. There will still be a funeral when they get back, it just won't be open casket like they originally planned."

Ichigo felt her face crack into the barest hints of a smile. The expression felt foreign but she couldn't help herself.

"He would've liked that." She said, voicing her thoughts.

"I thought so too." Her mom nodded in agreement, "Well, I'm off to the store. Call me if you need anything."

Ichigo assured her that she would.

When she heard the dull thud of the front door close, Ichigo slid open the drawer of her bedside table. She reached in and felt around, groping in the dark until her fingers brushed against a cool metal surface that tinkled. She pulled out the golden bell, trailing behind it the red ribbon. It was the bell chocker Masaya had given her, the one she'd somehow been wearing in her dream.

Hot tears speckled onto the palms of her hands as she held it close remembering, like a cinema film playing before her, the day he had secured the trinket around her neck telling her that she was like a cat who needed to wear it so he wouldn't lose her. Well, he certainly got his wish. He hadn't lost her; she'd lost him.

"Long time no see, Kitty Cat." Ichigo froze, the image in her mind's eye fading, at the sound of the familiar patronizing tone. As if in slow motion, a few more tears dripped down her cheek as she turned, pupils followed by the actual motion of her head, to her neck, to the upper half of her body. Finally, her gaze rested on the owner of the voice, a tall, dark green haired boy with golden eyes, long ears, and pointed teeth; wearing a weird assortment of clothes that showed off his midriff. He was smirking, hands on his hips as he gazed at her through her open window, despite her room being on the second floor.

"Kisshu…" Ichigo breathed, staring at the alien in shock.

His smile broadened as he saluted her, then he vanished, reappearing in her room, a respectful distance from her bed.

"Don't you Earthlings usually have school on these days?" He asked in a carefree manner, floating back up into the air before landing crisscross next to her.

Ichigo hadn't said a word since he'd entered her room, not even to tell him to leave or get out. She merely stared, stunned by his sudden appearance.

Kish frowned, waving his hand in front of her face a few times, but stopped after receiving no reaction.

"What's the matter Ichigo?" He laughed, flicking her affectionately on the nose, "Cat got your tongue?"

His actions were an agonizing reminder of the way her and Masaya used to interact. Without warning, the tears began anew, flowing thick and fast as she clutched the bell tighter.

Kish jumped back looking utterly dumbfounded.

"What? Ichigo? I haven't even touched you yet!" He exclaimed, "Ok, well, I flicked you, but that hardly constitutes as…!"

Ichigo managed to shake her head but did not look up.

Kish instantly fell silent. He could tell something was not right. Should've probably guessed by his less than eventful entrance. He sat back down on the bed, closer to Ichigo than he had been before.

"Ichigo?" He prodded.

Ichigo sniffed, whipping her eyes with the back of her hands but was unsuccessful in blocking the flow of tears.

"Sorry," she muttered, making a pained grimace, "I've been a real mess for the past few days."

"You look like it." Kish commented, giving her body a once over.

"Thanks." Ichigo muttered sarcastically.

"No seriously, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"

Ichigo shot him a glare.

Kish stood up and held out his hand to her. When she didn't take it, he took the initiative and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently from the bed to her feet.

"Come with me."

He led her out of the room, down the hall and into her bathroom with the air of someone who know where he was going.

"How do you know your way around my house?" Ichigo wondered vaguely.

"Ichigo, I stalked you for an entire year." Kish laughed, "I know everything about you down to that damn Strawberry shampoo of yours, which, incidentally, is not working for you."

Ichigo rolled her eyes.

"Somehow, I'm not even surprised."

"Yep. Any ways, if you want to use a good shampoo, use L'Oreal because you're worth it."

"Wow, how long have you been working on that one?"

"Two years. I've had time."

"Two much time." Ichigo said in an undertone as he flicked on the lights. Ichigo gasped as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy; tearstains traced trails down gaunt, sunken cheeks. Her red hair was tangled and disheveled, parts of it were even sticking to her face.

"Told you." Kish gloated.

"Shut it or I'll sock you in the face." Ichigo threatened in a sad attempt of a threatening voice. She was still staring at her reflection, shocked by how much a few days had changed her.

Kish took her hand again, flicked out the lights, and led her back to her room.

"So what happened?" He asked, sitting her down on the bed and watching her so intently she shifted uncomfortably.

Ichigo wrung her hands together, her breath shortening as her heart leapt into her throat. She shifted her gaze, finding a particularly interesting expanse of carpet and staring at the small follicles covered in dust.

She felt Kish shift from somewhere next to her, probably trying to figure out how to get her to open up and talk with him.

"Could you pass me that picture?" Ichigo murmured, her voice barely over a whisper. With out asking why, Kish handed her the finger printed portrait.

She took it carefully, handling it like fragile glass as she stared at the image.

"Did something happen to Masaya?" Kish asked, unknowingly hitting the nail on the head.

Ichigo nodded, not even bothering to deny it.

Kish titled her chin so they were eye to eye.

"What happened to him?" He asked. His tone wasn't patronizing, it wasn't even light or carefree. For someone who had considered Masaya his rival, he was genuinely concerned.

"He's dead." She told him in such a small voice that Kish thought he might've heard wrong.

"What?"

"He's dead." Ichigo repeated a little louder.

Kish was silent, his expression unreadable.

"I supposed the makes you happy." Ichigo remarked bitterly.

Kish frowned, crossing his arms and shooting her a disapproving glare.

"I may have considered Masaya a love rival because he was the object of your affections but that does not mean I wanted him dead." He stated coldly.

Ichigo laughed dryly, "The entire time you were here you were trying to kill him."

"That may be true but by the end of my stay I realized how important he was to you. I realized there was no way you would ever see me the same way you saw him so I resigned myself to just be happy for you and him. As long as he kept you happy and safe then I was perfectly content to watch you from afar. I always did whish you would show me the same affection but that never meant I wanted my rival dead. Right now I deeply regret the loss of such a bright and intelligent boy, and even more so, the affect his passing has had on you."

Ichigo looked at him doubtfully.

"Look, I can't make you believe me, nor do I think you'll ever believe me, but at least accept my condolences."

Ichigo hesitated for a moment then nodded, thanking him quietly.

Kish reached out and when she didn't shy away, drew her to his chest, squeezing her gently.

Ichigo blinked at the foreign gentleness. She was used to him grabbing her, fighting her, and overall treating her in a rough manner, but this gentleness… it was pleasant, warm, and comforting, a combination of the embrace from her parents, and, she was surprised she could think this, more than she'd ever received from Masaya. She fell into the embrace, burrowing her head into his chest. She brought her arms up, wrapping them around Kish's middle as he held her.

"Have you been sitting inside for a while?" She nodded.

"Let's go do something."

She pulled away, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Come on. You can't sit around all day moping. It's not what Masaya would've wanted."

"What should I do then?" She snapped testily.

Kish crossed his arms, closing his eyes in deep concentration as he contemplated her challenged.

"Aha! Let's go to that amusement park!"

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, backing away and looking at him as though he'd lost it.

"Yeah! We'll go on those fast moving worms, the big circle thingy and the ponies with poles through their backs!"

Ichigo was shaking her head in bewilderment.

"What's wrong now?"

"Kish, I can't…" Ichigo started, "My Mom could be home any minute now and-!" But she was interrupted when he suddenly leapt forward, grabbed ahold of her upper arm, and the two of them disappeared on the spot.

Ichigo blinked at the sudden brightness of the day, of the cobblestone pass she now stood on, the shimmering green of well-kept trees and grass, and the bright colors that decorated the rides. She could feel the warmth of the sun wash over her, the stifling heat of humidity engulf her. The cicadas buzzed in the near by trees. The bees sang as they went about collecting nectar from the carefully arranged flowers. Water splashed in the distance, gears ground against metal, and people screamed in unbridled joy. Kish really had teleported her from her room and taken her to a theme park. Said alien was currently tugging at her arm.

"Come on Kitten."

She jerked her arm out of his reach, her face purpling in rage, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Kish backed away, taken aback by her sudden reaction. Her face was darkening more and more as she swelled like a balloon full of hot air, "MY MOM IS AT THE STORE! SHE COULD BE BACK AT ANY MINUTE AND WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO WHEN SHE RETURNS AND DISCOVERS I'M NOT HOME? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD DO TO HER? HUH? DID YOU EVEN STOP TO CONSIDER –!" But her ranting was cut short by a pair of lips pressing delicately against hers.

Ichigo blinked.

Kish pulled away smirking, "That's more like the Ichigo I know."

Ichigo's face reddened with embarrassment, purpled with anger, then deflated to a look of defeat.

"I really need to get back, my Mom will worry." She said apologetically.

"No need to worry. Your Mom is going to realize she suddenly has a lot more errands to run that will take the entire day. She won't be back until school lets out." Kish stated smugly.

Ichigo frowned, eyeing the alien before her suspiciously.

"What did you do to my Mom?"

"Nothing! She's perfectly fine! I just used a new technique I learned that's all."

Ichigo purpled at once, "You manipulative son of a – !"

Kish slapped a hand over her mouth, waving his finger back and forth in front of her as if scolding a naughty child.

"Now, now, let's not speak badly of my family members. There's no need to disrespect the dead."

Ichigo looked stricken, "Kish I'm –," but he interrupted her again.

" – What do you say we hit one of those worm thingies? I've always wanted to try one! OOO! Then we could hit a haunted house, ride the ponies…!"

Ichigo couldn't help but smile. For the first time in weeks she felt alive.

She quickly ran to catch up with the excited alien.

"Um, Kish, we should probably purchase tickets before we do anything." Ichigo panted when she finally caught up with him in front of a billboard that contained a map of the park and its attractions.

"Why?" He asked nonchalantly, looking away from the map to stare at her.

"Because we need to pay to be here!"

"Do you have any money?"

"Well, no, but -."

"Then what's the problem? Besides, we already got in without any one noticing."

Ichigo glanced around anxiously. Indeed, no one had seemed to notice. Teenagers walked arm and arm with their dates while children in matching t-shirts traveled together in a wild pack, followed by harassed looking teachers. Families traveled in small clumps, the elder of the children leading the way while the smaller siblings were carried in strollers, or perched on their father's shoulders. Everyone was laughing and talking, exclaiming in excitement. Overall they were normal people going about their normal day at the park. No one seemed to have noticed or even acknowledged the sudden appearance of the alien, or the girl in pink pajamas.

"See? We're fine." Kish repeated, turning back to the map.

Ichigo opened her mouth to express another worry when Kish jumped into the air clapping excitedly.

"Let's do that one first!" He exclaimed, jabbing his finger at an attraction colored in bright blue and orange. He landed back on the ground, spun on the spot, grabbing Ichigo's hand, and took off running.

"Ah! Wait! Kish!" Ichigo yelled, stumbling to keep up.

"Wormy thingy!"

"It's called a roller coaster!"

Kish dragged her, weaving and dodging through the crowd of people.

"Kish be careful!" Ichigo cautioned right before she slammed into a small child. The kid fell over, screaming before he hit the ground.

"Watch where you're going!" The livid parent screamed after her.

"Sorry!" She called apologetically.

Kish dragged her all the way to a large, brightly colored roller coaster ride. Ichigo wondered vaguely how he'd been able to find it in one go. Usually it took forever to navigate around this place. His grin broadened with excitement.

Ichigo fell into step next to him, panting from the sudden dash.

"So how do these work?" Kish asked, his wild excitement falling away to calculative curiosity, "Do you ride on top of the worm, under it, or inside it?"

"For the last time," Ichigo said, a slight edge in her voice, "It's called a roller coaster!"

"Yes, but how does it work?"

"Are you seriously telling me you want to do something with out knowing anything about it?"

Kish nodded fervently.

Ichigo rolled her eyes as she pushed a loose strand of hair back, "It's a ride, not a worm. There are seats in the cars that you're strapped into so you don't fall out."

The machinery above them rattled as the wheels clunked against the structure, followed by the screams of its willing victims.

"What are they screaming for?" Kish asked with a frown, his eyes following the trail of the boxed machine.

"It's also extremely fast." Ichigo replied, also watching.

"I have got to try this!" Kish exclaimed. Ichigo caught him just before he could make a mad dash for the front of the line.

"Not yet." She told him firmly. She felt like a mother admonishing her kid, "You have to wait in line like everyone else." She pointed to the line, which wound in and out of a shaded structure then up and down several flights of stairs. They were currently at the very end.

Kish's ears drooped.

"We'll never get on with this!" He huffed.

"We will. We just need to be patient."

The two of them fell into an awkward silence as they stood waiting. Ichigo folded her arms and looked around the park. Bright, green, and would-be clean if it weren't for the wrappers and uneaten food scattered randomly at different intervals beside the obvious blue trashcan. People walked to and fro, each with their own destination and thrill awaiting them. The scene was perfectly normal, a common day in the life of a human, but served as a painful reminder to Ichigo about who she had lost. The last time she had been here was with Masaya. She watched as a young couple walked by, hand in hand, laughing at some unknown comment the boy had just made. That had been her and Masaya. She remembered it as though it were yesterday. She looked past the couple at a food stand nestled in the corner beneath the shade of a large oak tree. He had bought her ice cream there.

Ichigo's chest tightened. She clutched at the area tightly, biting her lip to keep from crying. It was Masaya she should've been here with. A healthy, energetic, human boy rather than an alien. Alien…?

Ichigo quickly blotted her eyes before rounding on Kish, who didn't seem to have noticed. He was standing on his tiptoes, trying to see how far they were until the front of the line.

"Kish?" He didn't hear her.

"Kish?" She repeated. Nothing.

Huffing in frustration, Ichigo curled her hand into a fist, reeled back, and socked him in the back.

Kish yelped, falling forward and barely managed to keep from knocking into the people in front of him. However, the group of girls turned to look at him.

"Sorry." Kish grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as Ichigo stared. Why weren't they reacting? Did they not notice Kish's large ears, the fangs, or even his oddly colored eyes? Where they oblivious to his choice of wardrobe?

Kish exchanged a few more pleasantries with the girls before rounding on Ichigo.

"What was that for?" He snarled.

Ichigo's brow furrowed.

"You've got some explaining to do." Ichigo hissed back.

"About what?"

"Like the fact no one seems to notice an alien walking around with a girl in bright pink pajamas!"

Kish blinked.

Ichigo crossed her arms, glaring him down.

"But people have noticed." Kish stated matter of factly, "That group there just asked me what anime I was from. What is anime any way?"

Of all the replies Ichigo had been expecting, that had not been it.

"They also wanted to know why you were in pajamas."

Ichigo's face burned.

"But, but, no one's been staring, or, or, whispering!"

"Actually they have."

"But I didn't hear or see anything!"

"Yeah, well, you also didn't notice me stalking you all those times either, so that's not really saying much."

Ichigo wished she could've turned to stone, eroded to dust then be swept away by the wind. This was mortifyingly embarrassing.

"What are you getting all red for?"

"Nothing." Ichigo ground out bitterly.

They lapsed into another silence as the line moved forward.

"It's strange." Ichigo commented softly after a long silence, "The past few times I was here I was with Masaya."

Kish reached out and enfolded her hand in his. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but it drew tears to Ichigo's eyes. Masaya used to hold her hand like that.

Ichigo swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping it would take the tears. She was sick of tears. They made her feel pathetic, yet she couldn't stop them. She forced a smile on her face.

"After this ride we used to stop by that food stand over there. Masaya would never let me pay." Ichigo's grin broadened despite the tears rolling down her cheeks, "They have excellent ice-cream."

"You'll have to show me." Kish replied lightly. His tone was guarded, careful.

"Sorry," Ichigo squeezed his hand before pulling hers from his, "I don't mean to be a blubbering mess on you, it's just, I find it hard to believe he's gone… especially after the dream I had last night."

"What dream?"

Ichigo hesitated, wrapping her arms around herself as if to protect herself against the enemy of loss.

The line moved forward again.

"Ichigo, please tell me."

She looked up at him, deep into those molten yellow orbs full of concern and sincerity, then she found herself opening up. She told Kish about the accident, how she had come by the news, her jumble of emotions, and even the dream. The dream she had held like a closely guarded secret. Not even her parents knew. It seemed ironic that the first person she told would be her former enemy.

"You know what I think?" Kish asked as the gate leading to the awaiting cars opened. Ichigo's monologue had lasted all the way to the front of the line and placed them in the actual ride itself, "I think you really did see Masaya. I think what you saw was his spirit, and I think that dream was his way of saying goodbye."

Ichigo said nothing, mulling over what he had just said as she pulled the overhead harness down and buckled herself into place. That had been her original thought. She looked up into the sky, imagining that somewhere amongst those sparse clouds, her blue knight was watching her.

"Kish, what do you think happens when we die?" She asked.

Kish was silent as the ride jerked to life, small, circular legs latching and slowly climbing up the steep track. All around them people were chattering excitedly, craning their necks to see the apex of the climb, waiting, with bated breath for the inevitable plunge.

The ride dragged its passengers all the way to the top and paused before slowly tipping forward.

Through the sudden outburst of adrenaline-spiked screams, Ichigo was barely able to catch Kish's reply, "A new beginning."

Ichigo felt her stomach jump into her throat. The ride began to pick up speed as gravity pulled the cars into her waiting arms. The wind howled in her ears and her surroundings turned into a blur of color. It was so fast her eyes were streaming. The ride abruptly hit the ground, but no sooner had their organs settled that they were hurled into the next loop, spinning to and fro like a bird caught in a tornado. Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the handles of her harness like her life depended on it. The wind roared in her ears, and suddenly, it was over. It was as over as fast as it had begun.

Ichigo stumbled out of her seat, using Kish's offered arm as support.

"What did you mean by 'a new beginning'?" She inquired as they left the ride through the assigned exit.

"On my planet, we believe in several stages of life." Kish began, "It goes from the smallest atom, to matter, to cells, etc., all the way to the elements. Even at that stage there are four different paths, but the highest, and most honorable, is the spiritual. Very few have ever gotten that far. It's been centuries.

"Is that like reincarnation?" Ichigo asked.

"No, reincarnation only implies living as a multicellular being. The stages of life I'm talking about are like gateways. A new individual is not born as another but rather becomes closer and closer to being one with everything. Everything is connected as a whole."

Ichigo frowned. She was finding it difficult to grasp what Kish was saying.

"I don't really understand." She admitted.

"A lot of us don't until we get there. We really only have guesses for what we believe those stages to be like."

"Then how can you put so much faith in something you have no proof about?'

Kish smiled slyly, "You mean the same way earthlings do?"

"Fair point." Ichigo conceded.

"Plus we do have proof."

"How so?"

"Well, your dream is proof. It proves that one of the stages, the guardian stage, is a part of the cycle."

Ichigo fell silent at this, remembering the way she had seen and spoken with Masaya in her dream. She remembered his promise, his sworn oath of protection. If what the aliens believed was true then did that mean he was really still with her? Were they merely separated by a veil? The thought sent a rush of warmth through her. She hadn't even noticed Kish had stopped until she ran into him.

"I've never been able to understand," Kish stated, drawing Ichigo from her train of thoughts, "how those poor animals can stand having poles through their backs."

Ichigo followed Kish's gaze to a circular ride. The attraction had a multitude of brightly colored and lavishly decorated horses that were suspended off the ground by a thick golden pole that ran from the length of the ceiling all the way to the floor.

Ichigo snorted before busting up into a fit of giggles.

"What?" Kish demanded, rounding on her.

"They're fake!" Ichigo explained, clutching at her stomach like she was fit to burst, "They're not real!"

Kish blinked, looking more closely at the horses.

"Come on, I'll show you." Ichigo laughed, waving her hand in a follow-me motion as she set off for the line.

She led him onto the ride after hurriedly coming up with a cover story for their appearances to a small group of children. Even getting on the ride they were trying to shake off a small boy who kept asking Kish where he got his ears and wondering aloud how he had changed his eye color.

"Wow, they really are fake!" Kish exclaimed, running his hand down the sculpted plastic.

"I told you." Ichigo giggled, clambering onto the back of a black steed, "No get on before the ride starts."

Kish easily jumped aboard an artificially designed palomino.

"So what does this ride do?"

"You'll probably be disappointed after the roller coaster. Some carnival music will come on when the ride starts, it will revolve around the middle, and the ponies will go up and down."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"Weird…" Kish muttered.

"It's for children." Ichigo defended.

Just as Ichigo had said, the ride started up as soon as the up beat music turned on. It continually went around in a circular motion, and the ponies barely seemed to move. Kish, however, did not seem disappointed as he watched the ceiling for the most part, studying the mechanics he could visibly see.

"Are all the rides run off electricity?" He asked as the ride came to an end.

"I think so." Ichigo replied, dismounting.

"To power this much though, how much energy is being expended?"

Ichigo frowned.

"I don't know. I've never really given it much thought."

Kish shook his head in a disapproving manner.

"What?" Ichigo asked defensively.

"Whoa! Don't get mad!" Kish exclaimed, holding his hands up in a calming gesture, "Our lives are just different. My species would see this sort of entertainment as pointless and harmful to the environment, that's all."

"Oh, and what do aliens do for fun?"

"Lots of things. We don't need machines to defy gravity after all." Kish smirked, his eyes twinkling, "And for the record, we're not _aliens_, we're called the _waulrinswi_."

"Wall – what?" Ichigo asked.

"Wall – rin – swee." Kish punctuated. "It means to walk on two legs."

"But that's what homo sapiens means here."

"In your world, yes. We speak differently where I come from."

"You're world's weird." Ichigo said tonelessly after a long pause.

Kish quirked a brow.

"I could say the same for Earth."

"I suppose…" Ichigo replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She shouldn't have said that about Kish's planet, especially when she didn't know anything about him or his species outside of the Deep Blue incident. She looked around wildly, trying to find something that would steer the conversation to a lighter place. That distraction came in the form of a red and white colored stand up ahead, smelling of baked sugar. A man stood over a machine with a conical stick, scraping pink fluffy material from its sides. Ichigo grinned.

"Here's another thing we "earthlings" enjoy." She grabbed Kish's hand, dragging him to the stand. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she told him to eat it. However, her face fell as she got close enough to read the prices. She'd forgotten that they didn't have any money.

"What's the matter?" Kish asked when Ichigo stopped.

Ichigo pointed wordlessly at the price list.

"Oh, I see." He replied, letting go of her hand. He strutted over to the stand, "May I have two of those?" He asked the man.

"That'll be ten yen." The man replied.

Ichigo watched as Kish merely stared at the man, who seemed to be getting impatient.

"That will be…" The man began, but trailed off as a dazed look seemed to wash over him. His pupils dilated to the point where his eyes were vague and unfocused; his mouth hung open slightly, and when he moved, his movements were awkward and jerking as he handed Kish the candy and thanked him for his purchase. As Kish turned to leave, he sat down, rubbing his temples, and blinking rapidly, as if suddenly being roused from a deep slumber.

"Here you are."

Ichigo took the candy handed to her looking dumbstruck.

"What did...? What did you do?" She stammered, still staring at the merchant who was now back on his feet and making more.

"Nothing really." Kish said with a shrug, eyeing the sugary treat he held, "More importantly, what is this stuff?"

"More importantly?" Ichigo repeated in disbelief, "What did you do?"

"I just learned a new trick. That's all." Kish replied off handedly, "It's no big deal."

Ichigo felt like she was going to get hysterical at any moment.

"No big deal? You were controlling some one's mind!" She snapped fiercely.

Kish clamped a hand over her mouth, gazing at her sternly.

"Not so loud Kitty Cat."

Ichigo slapped his hand away.

"How long have you been able to control people like that?"

"I don't know." Ichigo realized with a start that Kish was beginning to look uncomfortable under her interrogation.

"Kish?" She asked softly, "Are you ok?"

He averted his eyes.

"I'm fine."

Ichigo bit her lip. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't pry. Kish didn't want her to know, so it was none of her business until he chose to disclose it to her.

Feeling frustrated at her lack of ability to help, Ichigo pulled out a chunk of cotton candy and tossed it in her mouth.

"What is this stuff?" Kish asked, pointing unnecessarily to the untouched candy.

"Oh, it's cotton candy." Ichigo informed him.

"You want me to eat cotton?"

"It's not cotton, it's candy. It just has the same look and texture of cotton."

"Still sounds like cotton to me." Kish grumbled.

Ichigo shoved him playfully.

"Just try it."

"Fine."

Kish brought the candy covered stick up to his mouth and took a hesitant bite. He sat there for a second chewing before his eyes widened.

"It disappeared in my mouth!" He exclaimed.

Ichigo giggled. She turned to follow the flow of pedestrians.

"Come on Alien Boy," she called over her shoulder, "You still have plenty more to see."

Just as Kish promised, they returned to her room well before her mom got home. The two of them were sitting on her bed, the pink comforters now decorated with packaged candy, empty wrappers, balloon animals, and even a large, stuffed, Hello Kitty plushy Kish had won for her at one of the carnival games.

Ichigo fell onto her back, smiling so much that it hurt. She couldn't believe that not too long ago Kish had been an enemy. He was enthusiastic, charming, and downright fun to hand around. She rolled over so that she could face him as he held up another package of candy, turning it so the light caught it at various angles. He looked like a scientist examining an experiment.

"What is this stuff?" He asked, shaking the package as if the sound would give it away.

"Ramene candy." Ichigo replied, "Try it. They're really good."

With a shrug, Kish easily ripped open the package, picked out a blue, bottle shaped hard candy, and popped it into his mouth. The next second, he had spit it out with a yelp.

"It dissolved into fizz!" He exclaimed, pointing at the offending object on the floor.

Ichigo lapsed into a fit of giggles, rolling around comically across her bedspread.

"What?" Kish demanded, nonplused.

"It's supposed to!" Ichigo gasped the moment she was able to catch her breath.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to, but your reaction was priceless!" She sniggered, before lapsing into another fit of giggles.

Kish glowered at her, which only succeeded in making her laugh harder. He reached into the back and pounced on her, shoving another one of the hard candies into her mouth.

Ichigo barely managed to not choke. Instead, she pushed Kish off of her and sat up, miming to be enjoying some sort of rare delicacy.

"Earthlings…" Kish muttered under his breath."

"I would take that as an insult if you weren't grinning like a moron." Ichigo said around the candy.

The sound of the door opening made them freeze, both their eyes as wide as saucers.

"Ichigo, I'm home!" Her mom called up the stairs. The door slammed shut followed by the jingle of keys hitting the plaster as they were hung on the key rack the family kept by the door.

Ichigo looked in a panic at the amusement park evidence strewn about her room, and at Kish who was sitting next to her.

"Hide!" She mouthed, making a desperate dash for the mess before it suddenly vanished. She looked in bewilderment at the now clean bedding, then at Kish who was smiling pleasantly.

"What? Did you…? Did you do something?" She asked uncertainly.

Kish flicked her nose playfully.

"I told you. I learned a few tricks." He said mysteriously before vanishing on the spot.

Ichigo frowned, staring at the empty stretch of air that used to be an alien. She'd have to demand him to give her answers about these "tricks".

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you every one who has reviewed. I really appreciated your comments and feed back. I'm sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to be posted. I had a bit of a hard time writing it and I still have no editor :(. The next chapter will be getting into the plot, the part I've been dying to write. Hopefully that one will be up sooner XD.


	4. In Memorial: A Fallen Knight

Chapter 3

In Memorial: A Fallen Knight

Ichigo awoke the morning of Masaya's funeral feeling a strange sense of ease. This funeral wasn't a mere good-bye for closure. It was a new beginning. It was the start of a new stage in life for Masaya, and a new day for her to begin in the material world.

She rolled over in bed, picking up the portrait of her and Masaya. Though she couldn't see it due to the shadows stressed across the room from the remains of the night, she knew the picture in perfect detail.

"I miss you Masaya." She said aloud, running the tips of her fingers over the border, "But you're not really gone are you? You're probably here with me now." She imagined Masaya's spirit smiling some where from behind her. She could practically feel the radiating warmth of his arms around her as he embraced her, and she dreamed she could feel him kissing her cheek softly.

Smiling serenely, she set the picture aside and crawled out of bed. She really needed to take Kish's advice and shower.

Ichigo opened the door to her bedroom into the complacent silence of the early morning. Stepping quietly so she wouldn't disturb her parents, she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a soft click. She drew the curtains across the white tiling of the tub, and turned the knob for the hot water. As the water warmed up, Ichigo shed from her pajamas and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. She had lost a lot of weights since Masaya's passing. Having always been rather fit, her muscle tone had decreased significantly. Her hair was oily and unkempt, emphasizing the face of an empty shell. Large bags hung under her eyes from lack of sleep and all-consuming depression. The lack of diet had caused her face to appear sunken and waxy, weighted down by what looked like a permanent pout.

Ichigo sighed, leaning forward against the counter and rubbing her temples. She was a complete mess. What would Masaya think of her in this state?

"He'd probably tell me to keep my chin up." She answered to her reflection in the mirror, which smiled back sheepishly.

Ichigo turned her back on the mirror and stepped into the shower. The warm water greeted her like an old friend, the warmth cascading down her bare skin. She bowed her head into the beads of water, watching the inevitable flow of the water into the drain. It was like watching her inner turmoil that had been plaguing her for weeks. Just as the water seemed to be spiraling out of control and piling up at the end of the basin, it just as quickly disappeared down the drain, leaving in its wake a fresh clean basin. The water was cleansing her of her pain and suffering, allowing her to start anew.

Ichigo pulled a fresh bottle of strawberry shampoo from the tiled shelf in her shower and squeezed a fair amount of it onto the palm of her hand. Eyes narrowed in concentration she messaged the substance through her hair and into her scalp.

"I'm done with tears. I will no longer cry." She told her self firmly, and stuck her head back under the spray, washing away tears she would no longer shed, "I need to be strong. I need to fight through this. I need to live. For both of us."

Ichigo finished washing her hair, turned off the shower and reached for her towel. She frowned, her hands groping at thin air. She thought she'd placed a towel on the rack. Ichigo ripped the curtains back, staring at the empty towel rack, which was always stocked with at least three towels. Where did her towels go?

"Wow my imagination is put to same by reality!" Some one wolf-whistled.

Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of saucers before registering the second presence in the room.

"KISH!" She shrieked, tugging the shower curtain around her with so much force, it was ripped cleanly from the pole. The falling curtain sent her off balance, the heel of her foot barely touching the base of the tub when it slipped in water, sending her crashing into the basin.

"Ichigo!" Her parents screamed. Hurried footsteps raced to the door, "Ichigo! Are you alright?" Her mom yelled through the door.

"Fine!" Ichigo yelled back, glaring at Kish as she rubbed the shoulder she had landed on. Kish chortled silently into his hand. Ichigo held her free hand out wordlessly. Kish tossed her the towels.

"What happened?" Her dad asked.

"I slipped climbing out of the tub." She replied, "Get out." She mouthed at Kish, emphasizing her point with a jerk towards the door.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No, just my shoulder. I'm fine though."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Fuming, Ichigo clutched the curtain tightly around herself, listening to make sure her parents were out of earshot before rounding on Kish.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She hissed through gritted teeth. She wanted to get the towel on, but couldn't figure out how to accomplish this without revealing herself.

"Aw, come on Kitten, I just wanted to see you."

"When I'm showering?" She nearly shrieked.

"Well, it's certainly a step up from you looking disheveled and teary eyed – WHOA!" He easily caught the bottle of shampoo Ichigo had chucked at him.

"Get out so I can get dressed!"

"But you look just fine without clothes on."

The conditioner hit him square between the eyes. Kish stared at it for a moment, then at the irate girl who's face was nearly as scarlet as her hair.

"Get. Out. NOW!"

Kish rolled his eyes, and with a loud crack, disappeared.

Still fuming, Ichigo untangled herself from the shower curtain and toweled herself off. She gingerly poked at her shoulder, which was now darkening. Since she hadn't brought in a change of clothes, she simply tugged her pajamas back on and headed for her room where she knew Kish would be waiting. Sure enough, she crossed the threshold into her room to find the alien lying languidly on the bed.

Scowling, Ichigo stalked past him to her closet. She slid open the door and pulled out the formal black dress her mother had bought her for the funeral.

"If you look I'll kill you.' She threatened, pulling off her pajama shirt and fastening a bra into place before slipping into the dress. Once the dress was in place, she removed the pajama bottoms and tossed the article into the hamper, followed by the top.

"Can I look now?" Kish asked innocently, his voice slightly muffled.

Ichigo turned to see that he had one of her pillows pressed to his face, effectively blocking his eyes. She highly doubted the pillow had been there the whole time.

"Yeah." She replied shortly, walking over to her dresser to pick up her hairbrush. She combed her hair quietly, feeling uneasy as Kish's eyes seemed to stare at her unblinkingly.

"What?" Ichigo snapped, setting the brush down and reaching into a side drawer for two red ribbons.

"It's today isn't it? Masaya's funeral."

Ichigo forced down a tremor. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore.

"Yeah." She said in a small voice.

Kish finally looked away with an unhappy frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

A silence stretched between them as Ichigo's fingers pulled her hair into two pigtails, secured by the ribbons. It was her old style, the one that reminded her of the best of memories with Masaya.

"Here," A bell tinkled in her ear. Ichigo glanced up at Kish, who now stood beside her. She hadn't even heard him approach. IN his hand he held her bell chocker.

"Thanks." She reached out for the necklace, but before she could grasp it, Kish pulled it out of her reach and fastened it carefully around her neck.

"Would you like me to be there with you?" He asked, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders.

Ichigo shook her head.

"My parents will be there and I'll have my friends with me."

Kish's expression hardened for a moment, but when she blinked, it was gone, making her wonder if she'd actually seen it.

"How are you holding up?" He inquired.

"I thought a lot about what you said." Ichigo replied, "About the different stages of life and where I am now. I decided… I decided that I can't cry forever. Masaya would not want me to be like that. He'd rather have me live my life to my fullest. So, I'm now going to live for both him and me."

Kish's grin matched hers in the mirror.

"Thank you Kish." Her next action surprised them both. She threw her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly.

After a moment's hesitation, Kish hugged her back, patting her hair softly.

"No problem Kitten. I'm always here for you."

"I should probably get going. My mom probably has breakfast ready." Ichigo murmured into his chest.

"Of course." Kish replied, squeezing her again before letting her go, "I'll see you after. We can go out for ice cream."

Ichigo smiled.

"I'd like that."

Kish watched as she walked out the door and could hear her padding down the stairs.

"Kish," The air shimmered, producing a small, brown hair, brown-eyed alien, similarly dressed as he was, "we need to get things moving. We can't wait any more!"

"I know Tart." Kish sighed, averting his gaze to the ground, "Just a little longer."

Hours later, Ichigo found herself at the site of the funeral. It was an average built community church that appeared to be rather bland on the outside. It was a combination of stucco and white washed brick. The stain-glass windows looked dark and uninviting.

Ichigo took a deep breath before following her parents through the French glass doors.

The Church's outer appearance had been deceiving. Indoors the walls were a mellow yellow color, bordering an immaculately kept, forest green, carpet. In coves were made in the walls lining the hallways, alternating between professional floral arrangements and statues of the saints. Here and there, there were even stain glass windows depicting help from the divine and paintings of the Lord and his works.

Mingling about in the large entrance hallway, complete with squash, plush chairs and a café, was the funeral party. Everyone was dressed in black as a sign of mourning. Ichigo scanned the crowed. She recognized both of Masaya's parents, a few of his relatives, and people from school, but a large majority of the people, she didn't know. She'd never seen them or even heard of them.

"Shall we go see the Aoyamas?" Ichigo's mother asked of her and her father.

"You guys go." Ichigo said. Despite how much she'd been telling herself to move on, suddenly, to be confronted with the task of consoling his grieving parents, her bravado slipped away. She could feel that cold, empty, numbness creeping towards her.

Her mother gripped her shoulder.

"Go find Yuki and Momo." She instructed.

Ichigo nodded and set off blindly into the sea of black.

She found her two friends towards the back of the procession, sitting quietly in a pair of plush armchairs under a window. They both looked up at her approach. Her own grieving expression mirrored by the two of them.

"Ichigo…" Mom said softly. She pushed herself off the chair and embraced Ichigo tightly. Ichigo returned the gesture, though her arms felt like lead.

"How are you doing?" Yuki asked, hugging her after Momo had let go.

"I'm ok." Ichigo mumbled.

"I guess so. You actually came out of your room." Yuki smirked, taking a stab at a joke.

Ichigo grinned half-heartedly.

"I even took a shower."

They chuckled quietly then almost immediately fell silent. It didn't seem appropriate to laugh amongst the crowd of mourners.

Ichigo found herself clutching her arms tightly around her middle, a habit she'd developed to counter act the oncoming misery. Momo seemed to have sensed this.

"Have you seen the room where the funeral will be held?" She asked. Ichigo shook her head, "Let's go check it out."

She led them through the throng, her red hair lighting the way like a beacon. They followed Momo to a pair of heavy oak doors that she pushed through with ease.

While Ichigo was positive Masaya would've preferred to have his memorial service outdoors amongst nature, the room his family had chosen was positively breath taking. The carpet ended in the doorway and gave way to a polished hardwood floor. In the center of the room, the floor was carved out into the shape of a cross. A delicate assortment of blue tile lined the alcove, and the entire basin was filled with clean, sparkling water. Lining each side of the basin were rows of mahogany carved benches facing a raised platform. On the wall were two large paintings. The one on the left showed the Virgin Mary while the one on the right depicted Jesus. Cascading down the wall and along the floor were an assortment of flowers that lead up to a white clothed table, and on the table, a coffin.

Ichigo's eyes widened. Trembling, she walked through the doorway, past the rows of mahogany benches, up the step to the platform and zeroed the way between her and the coffin.

The scene was unreal to her. There lay Masaya, cleanly trimmed and dressed in a fancy black tux. His eyes were closed; his hands were folded across his chest. It almost seemed like he was sleeping. It wasn't until she started really studying him that she could see the extent of the damage. Beneath the carefully chosen make up, she could see bruises of varying colors on the left side of his head. His lip was torn, and indents, from what looked like gravel, riddled his face and neck. She looked closely at his hands, unhealed scars.

Ichigo clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. No matter what she'd told herself this morning in the shower, she hadn't been prepared for this, to see his broken and mangled form.

Yuki and Momo were at her side in an instant.

"Let's go sit down." Momo suggested in a quiet voice.

Ichigo nodded wordlessly and allowed her friends to steer her away from Masaya's body, and into the rows of benches. She sat down heavily, trying to keep the images and emotions at bay, but already she could feel the white-hot tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

She heard the doors open, and the sound of multiple footsteps crossing into the room. Masaya's parents took a position up front, their friends and relatives filing in close to them. Ichigo's, Momo's, and Yuki's parents easily found the three girls and shuffled into the bench behind them. Ichigo's mother reached forward to grip her shoulder and passed her a cloth handkerchief. Ichigo thanked her and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

As the last few mourners took a seat, an elderly lady in a purple dress suit ascended the small stage before Masaya's coffin where a podium had been placed.

"We are gathered here today in order to say good-bye to a bright and wonderful boy." She began. Ichigo's heart sank. She could already tell that this woman had no connection to Masaya.

The woman then went on to describe Masaya's accomplishments through his life, like she had just been fed minutes beforehand on what to say, then how he would be remembered and dearly missed by all those who had met him. She didn't know him. How he could illuminate a room with just his presence, save any life no matter how small and how he had aided the Mews in their battle against the alien invaders. No, this woman did not know him at all. Here and there they were asked to recite a passage from the Bibles located in a basket attached to the benches in front of them.

Despite hating how the funeral was run, Ichigo couldn't stop herself from crying. She was never able to view the passages they were expected to read through her tears, to even recite any of the conventional prayers, or even participate much at all. Worse yet, people kept sending her sympathetic glances. She didn't want their sympathy. She wanted the boy she had lost.

The woman finished her speech and stepped down from the stage. When she took her seat, members of the funeral party began standing and making their way to the coffin for a final good-bye.

"We should go too." Yuki said, standing up and brushing wrinkles from her dress.

"We should wait for the family first." Momo replied quietly. She brushed unshed tears from her eyes, glancing sideways at Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded mutely.

Yuki sat back down, eyeing Ichigo out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm not going to break down." Ichigo told her, "I think I've cried just about every tear out of me."

Yuki nodded.

They waited in silence until the sea of people began to clear away from the coffin. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo stood up. This was it. This was goodbye to Masaya in the physical world.

Her friends followed wordlessly as she made her way out of their row, down the aisle, and to the stage. She had been so determined to get to that coffin and get it over with that she didn't realize she was there until she nearly tripped over it.

It was still hard to believe that the body, now adorned with flowers, was his. Ichigo felt the corners of her mouth dip as she gazed down upon him.

"I guess this is it." She whispered, before bending down and kissing his cold, dead, cheek, "Goodbye, my Blue Knight." And with that she turned to leave but had only taken two steps away when she backtracked. Ichigo quickly undid the bow that held the bell chocker around her neck and set it in the coffin near Masaya's head, "So that I'll always be able to find you."

"Blue Knight?" Momo asked as the two of them stepped down from the platform.

"Nick name." Ichigo grinned.

"Oh, I never heard you refer to him as that before today."

"It was a private thing." Ichigo lied easily as she watched Yuki and all their parents say their farewells.

"Are you going to be ok?" Momo asked hesitantly, clasping her hands behind her back.

Ichigo nodded, "With time."

"Ichigo." Her mother and father had now left the platform and were walking towards her, "Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama said they would like to see you."

Her blood froze. This was still something she wasn't ready to do.

"We'll be right behind you." Yuki assured her, walking up to them.

Ichigo inclined her head solemnly and followed her mother to the door.

Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama stood right outside. Mrs. Aoyama was a middle aged Japanese woman with streaks of grey in her dark brown hair, and a kind set of motherly eyes. Mr. Aoyama was clean-shaven, and wore wire-rimmed glasses that made his eyes look twice the size they actually were. The two of them were thanking the funeral guests for their condolences. When Mrs. Aoyama spotted Ichigo, she instantly broke off her conversation and ran to enfold the smaller girl in a hug.

Ichigo hugged her back, gripping her tightly. She hoped to convey all of her feelings of regret, loss and sympathy through the simple contact, for she didn't feel she could offer anything more to the grieving mother.

Mrs. Aoyama pulled back, and to Ichigo's surprise she was smiling. It was a pained smile, but held affectionate warmth.

"He always loved you." She told Ichigo, patting her cheek clumsily and then tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Thank you for being someone so important to our boy. As a mother, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and wonderful girl."

Ichigo's face flushed red.

"I-I-I can't believe some one as amazing and talented as him would ever notice me." Ichigo stammered, "He was truly one of a kind. I… I am so sorry for your loss."

Mrs. Aoyama smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you."

Ichigo exchanged another hug with Mr. Aoyama and both expressed their condolences to one another. It was odd, Ichigo thought, that they would apologize to her so much when it was they who had suffered more. She felt she should offer them more in comfort. There must've been some further way she could show them her support and devotion to Masaya, but before Ichigo knew it, they were saying their goodbyes. In the next instance, she was walking out to the parking lot, Yuki and Momo at her sides.

"Do you feel like you were able to get some closure?" Momo asked, "I-I mean! I know it's hard and you'll never forget him, but –!"

"Easy." Ichigo interrupted, placing a hand on her friends shoulder, "I did." She looked back and forth between her friends, "Thank you both for sticking with me."

"Of course. That's what we're here for." Yuki smiled.

Ichigo smiled in return.

"I can't believe that's how his funeral was held. That woman knew nothing about Masaya."

Ichigo's smile quickly disappeared as she, Yuki, and Momo, whirled around to stare at a green-haired, large eared boy that had appeared out of no where.

"Kish!" Ichigo breathed, staring at the alien in shock. Hadn't she told the alien not to come?

Yuki shifted next to her, placing herself in between the two other girls and the alien.

"Ichigo, do you know him?" Yuki asked. Her eyes locked on him predatory like, watching and calculating his every move.

"Ichigo who's this?" Her dad asked.

Panicking, Ichigo ran forward and grabbed Kish's hand.

"Everyone, this is Kish. He's an exchange student from… from… Africa!" She invented wildly.

"Africa?" Her mother repeated, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

"Er, yes, Africa." Kish confirmed with a noncommittal jerk of his head, "Where's Africa?" He asked Ichigo out of the corner of his mouth.

Ichigo wished she could kick him with out any one noticing.

"We had an exchange student?" Momo whispered to Yuki. Yuki shook her head, eyeing Ichigo as if she could x-ray the truth out of her.

"Well Kish, I'm Sakura Momomiya, Ichigo's mother, and this is Shintaro Momomiya, her father."

"Very nice to meet you." Kish greeted with a bow.

"I must say your Japanese is superb." Shintaro complimented, holding out his hand for Kish to shake.

Kish took it firmly, "Thank you very much."

"How did you and Ichigo meet?" Yuki inquired, smiling a bit to brightly for Ichigo's comfort.

"Well, funny story, we met with a – HMPH!" Ichigo quickly slapped her hand over his mouth, now positively pink with embarrassment.

"Kish," she began, keeping her voice as even as possible, "can I talk to you for a minute? _Alone?_" She emphasized the last bit, and with out waiting for an answer, she dragged him away, ignoring the protests of her friends and parents.

Ichigo made sure they were well out of earshot before rounding on Kish.

"What are you doing here?" She nearly yelled.

"Same thing as you. Saying good bye to Masaya." Kish replied, cocking his head to the side.

"I told you not to come! What were you thinking?"

"I already told you my reason for coming! Why shouldn't I be here?"

"Because you're an alien!" Ichigo yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"No, I'm a waulrinswi." He corrected coldly, "Stop calling me an alien."

"Kish!"

"What? What's the problem? And what's up with all the secrets and lies? Haven't you told your parents about me?"

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization. Kish didn't know that her identity was a secret, that she had not shared with her parents or friends that she was a Mew, much less her involvement with the aliens.

"No, I haven't."

"What?"

"I haven't told my parents or friends about you. I haven't even told them I'm a Mew."

Kish reeled back in shock.

"So they don't know about Deep Blue or –."

Ichigo shook her head.

"Oh geez," Kish groaned, slapping a hand over his forehead, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd blatantly appear before them like that!" Ichigo defended heatedly.

"I didn't even mask myself!"

"Yeah no… wait… what?" Ichigo exclaimed.

Kish clapped a hand over his mouth looking like he'd let slip a closely guarded secret.

"N-nothing." He said hastily.

"What do you mean 'mask' yourself?" Ichigo pressed.

"Nothing what so ever." Kish replied evasively.

"Kish –!" But she was cut off by a burning sensation in the pocket of her dress. Her hand instantly closed around a small, oval shaped pendant. She quickly pulled it out. In faint, etched looking writing, were the words:

Meet at base. Now. Urgent.

Just as soon as she'd seen the message, it disappeared.

Ichigo swore under her breath, casting a worried glance in the direction of her friends and family.

"Go, I'll cover for you." Kish promised.

Ichigo hesitated, not wanting to run off with out telling them were she was going and most certainly not wanting to rely on Kish, especially when he was still hiding things from her.

Her pendant burned again in her hand, flashing the word: Now!

"Don't do anything weird." Ichigo ordered him lamely before taking off at a full sprint in the direction of the Mew Café. She'd apologize for running out on them later. She had barely run a block from the church when Kish caught up with her.

"Need a lift?"

"I thought you were going to take care of my family!"

"I did!"

"What did you –?"

"Oh just hold on." Kish scooped her cleanly from the sidewalk in a princess hold before disappearing on the spot.

They reappeared in front of the Mew Mew café, a small pink structure decorated like the icing of a cake, complete with heavy set windows and outdoor seating. For a place that could be heard from miles away, the place was strangely empty and desolate. Ichigo's brow furrowed. Something was really wrong.

"Thanks for the lift." Ichigo said, hopping out of his arms. She immediately ran for the door, and was shocked when Kish followed her.

"Um, you may want to stay out here. I haven't told anyone that you're back."

"Oh, they know we're back." Kish replied, his tone flat. He pushed open the doors into the pink, frilly, decorated café, which was, indeed, empty, except for nine people. Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, Berry, and even Zakuro were there, accompanied by two men. One was tall, dressed in a simple waiter's outfit, and with long brown hair that reached the back of his knees. This was Keiichiro Akasaka, the owner and creator of the café and Mew project. He smiled sympathetically and bowed at her entrance. The other man was slightly shorter, with bleach blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, Ryou Shirogane, the team's devoted researcher and leader. He lifted his fingers to acknowledge her presence, but looked like he was in a bad mood. He was leaning back in a chair, his foot up against the surface of the table, and was glaring daggers at Kish. Kish's friends, Tart and Pai were also there. Tart still looked as childish as ever, small with large brown eyes and ears, while Pai looked largely the same. Calm, cool, and analytical, he was the eldest and tallest brother of the aliens, also the most serious. He rarely ever cracked a genuine smile, and was currently frowning tightly.

"I guess since we're all, finally, here," Pai threw a disapproving look at Kish, "I can explain everything."

Ichigo looked at every person and waulrinswarian in the room with confusion. What was going on? She returned Zakuro's wave, wondering vaguely when she'd gotten back into town.

"Yes please." Ryou stated coldly.

Akasaka threw him a disapproving scowl.

"That is no way to speak to our guests Ryou." He reprimanded. Ryou ignored him, his eyes narrowing. Pai pretended not to hear.

"Just about two years ago, after our failed attempt to reclaim Earth and the Deep Blue incident, our people, the Waulrinswi, came across another planet." Pai detached a small, ISB looking device from the belt he wore across his torso and set it flat on the table. He clicked the edge of it, and a grainy, pixilated image of a sparkling blue planet erupted from the small device. It grew in size until it resembled a large, see through beach ball. Now that it was larger, Ichigo could see a mixture of green and brown patches, closely clumped together. Like Earth, those must be landmasses. However, unlike Earth, there was a much larger ratio of water to land.

"This is _Sorqoseum Promas,_ or Salvation Planet." Pai continued, "At first it seemed that the planet was uninhabited so we began exploring." He clicked the device again, zooming in on a portion of the planet. Boxes of images appeared next to it with a scroll bar. Pai clicked on the first image, and everything cleared out of the way so that they were only looking at an image of abundant vegetation with a waterfall gleaming in the background. It looked like the images of Hawaii Ichigo had seen once in her geography class.

"It's beautiful." Zakuro murmured in astonishment.

Kish and Tart made a noise of agreement.

Pai flicked through a few more images, many of them depicting plants that were common to Earth: trees, ferns, grasses, and flowers, but there were a few Ichigo had never seen before. Hanging from a majority of the trees and vines were large, banana yellow plants that looked to be a few feet long and nearly just as wide.

"These plants, which we have yet to name, are extremely acidic. They produce some sort of acid that can eat cleanly through our toughest of armor. We've made a point to stay away from them, though luckily they're mostly in the forest landscapes. They seem to need plenty of shade." Pai explained.

He flicked to another image that looked like the plant version of a starfish with a large gurgling hole in the middle.

"We also have yet to name this death trap. It appears to lure its prey in with some sort of smell, then fold and traps the prey like a Venus fly trap."

Pai thumbed through more images. In one there was a bright blue, fluffy looking bug that had reptilian designed wings and a trunk that resembled a minuscule version of an elephants. It had large blue eyes that would've looked adorable if they weren't lattice shaped and bugged out the side of its head. Another depicted the mythical unicorn, a tall, pearly white horse creature with a spiral horn. The only draw back was that it appeared to be carnivorous; in the image, a small herd was feeding on some sort of carcass. Still further, another image depicted a creature that closely resembled a Pterodactylus, though twice its size with six sets of wings and two jaws. Even further there were birds of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The major differences were the number of eyes. Many had the customary two, while the rest had any from three to eight.

"The photography is lovely, but I'm sure the reason you're here is not to show off your new find." Ryou said flatly.

"Ryou!" Akasaka exclaimed in outrage.

Pai held up his hand, settling his impassive grey eyes on the blonde youth.

"No, you're right. It's not. The reason we are here is this." The screen changed to a blurry streak of dark green.

"What is it?" Pudding asked, squinting, and even trying to stand on her head to try and make sense of the image.

"We don't know." Tart replied, suppressing a shudder.

"When our explorers have been out and about the land they'll be reporting to base about what they see." Pai drew a hand across the pixilated image, turned a dial on the device and a video appeared before them, "I've translated it to Japanese so you'll understand."

The image began to move, showing a dense forest of vegetation. The yellow plants hung from the canopy looking like brightly colored, oversized bats. Weird sounds resonated through out the scene. There were the screeches of what they assumed to be birds, the hum of insects, and even growls that rumbled through the foliage. As far as Ichigo could see, the island was completely uninhabited.

The camera bobbed and weaved through the vegetation, ducking at overhanging branches, giving the impression that it was being carried, probably strapped to someone's head. The sound of heavy breathing. A grunt as the sound of branch hit flesh. Green, green, green. Ichigo had never seen so much green.

"It's hot." Some one on the screen grunted.

"Nice difference from all the howling winds eh?" Another replied. Some one else laughed.

"Are we getting any closer to water?"

The waulrinswi on the screen paused to listen. Faintly, they, and the people watching them, could hear the faint flow of water in the distance.

"It's getting closer. We need to head this way."

The camera bobbed like it had been whipped around, then set off in another direction of green. More vegetation appeared as they ventured further. There was a large purple plant that closely resembled the structure of a mushroom except that it seemed to be pulsing. Every time it expanded, neon green lines formed on the exterior looking like veins.

"What do you suppose this is?" The voice sounded really close. It must've been the camera waulrinswi speaking.

A member of the search party, a female waulrinswi with flaming red hair, pale skin, and tight fit clothing, stepped forward and bent down to examine the mushroom. She muttered things about the plant Ichigo couldn't understand, but she got the general idea. The scientist was analyzing the physical structure of the plant. She rummaged around on the ground and found a stick, which she used to carefully poke at the plant. The plant shuddered and shied away from the touch, but as soon as the stick had retracted, it went straight back to its original position, breathing, as if in a sigh of relief. The scientist waulrinswi then pulled out a set of tools she kept in a pack around her back and pulled out a chemistry set. She picked out several of the vials provided and a scapula.

"Do you really need a sample now Pakai?" A male asked.

"We're supposed to gather as much information as we can about everything we see." Pakai replied, not even glancing away from her work. She scooped a sample of the exterior of the plant into a vial, sending the plant shivering into a tight ball.

"Yeah but right now we need water or we're going to die of dehydration."

"This will only take a sec."

"We're going to keep going. Catch up with us."

She nodded, extracting another device from the bag and hooking it up to a stopper she'd placed above the vial.

"Don't wait to long."

With that parting, the camera angle moved and the rest of the party continued through the dense forest. The sound of water was getting louder as they walked. Finally, the foliage parted to reveal a sparkling stream. It was literally sparkling. It was clear, but shone with a bright blue color, as if the glow was coming out of the soil.

"Finally." Some one muttered.

There was the sound of rummaging and thumps as bags and personal belongings were dropped onto moss-covered rocks next to the water's edge. Canteens were dunked into the liquid, and there was silence as the explorers drank their fill. The camera was taken off and set aside. Its carrier hadn't even bothered to turn it off. Now all that could be seen was the side of a rock. How was this supposed to show anything?

"Suppose we should report to headquarters." Someone grunted, "What a pain."

"I'll do it." Another click, "This is squad WR93 reporting in. After much exploring we've discovered –," the ground shook.

"What was that?" A waulrinswi exclaimed. Though they couldn't see what was going on, Ichigo imagined the entire party was on their feet, standing at attention, and staring around wide eyed.

A scream.

"Pakai!"

"Pakai!"

Silence.

"What happened?" Some one yelled.

"Pakai!"

Still no answer.

Another scream. The sound of stumbling footsteps.

"Drell!"

Soon the entire room was filled with the screams of the explore team. Screams of agony and pure terror. It sounded as if the crew was getting massacred.

The force of the impact on the ground flipped the camera. Ichigo gasped. Blood covered the expanse of the rock and moss, flowing soundlessly into the river, staining the water crimson. The waulrinswi had put up a fight, but to no avail. Closest to the lens was one of the explorers. Brown haired, and shorter ears on any of the waulrinswi Ichigo had ever seen, his large dark eyes stared open and unblinking. Like the rest of the land around him, he was covered in crimson blood that came from were his head had been severed from the rest of his body. Beyond him was an arm, followed by a punctured torso. Organs spilled haphazardly across the ground. Not a single member of the crew was left alive.

The ground rumbled again. Something hissed and spat, and before the screen began to disintegrate, Ichigo was able to make out a blur of dark green, and then everything went black.

"We've sent a little over twenty search and explorer parties. The result has been the same." Pai said darkly, pressing something on the device that shut it down and clipped it back to his belt, "All have had countless footage, but not one has been able to capture an image of the assailants. Out of the hundreds of waulrinswi we've sent, only one has survived, and he's standing in this room"

Pai looked up. All eyes in the room followed his gaze. All eyes in the room found Kish.

* * *

><p>AN:

Thank you all for the reviews! I am very sorry for the wait for this chapter and if it seems shorter compared to the other two. It was only 13 pages typed :(

I still don't have an editor. Are there any of my readers that would be willing to edit? I get worried that I'll start randomly rambling and it won't make sense to the story, especially because I just recently had surgery. Please let me know if this chapter makes no sense. I tried writing while I was on pain medication, and I think it turned out ok, but I'm not sure, so reviews are very needed for this chapter XP

I will get straight to work on chapter 4. Thank you all for you support.


	5. Bitter Truths

Chapter 4

Bitter Truths

Ichigo stared at Kish. She knew he was strong, but to be the sole survivor out of hundreds of waulrinswi… How did he survive?

Kish looked away, scratching his neck uncomfortably.

"I don't understand." Zakuro said slowly, breaking the silence, "How can you not know what you're up against if Kish is still here?"

"Well that's because –," Tart began.

" –I can't remember anything." Kish finished. He crossed his arms staring determinedly at the hardwood floor, "I remember arriving with my team, exploring a bit, then, nothing. When I came to, I was somehow back on the ship. There wasn't a scratch on me yet everyone else was dead. I don't know how or why I'm alive…"

"You don't remember anything?" Ryou asked, disbelief edging the tone of his voice.

"I don't." Kish confirmed, daring Ryou to contradict him.

"Well that's helpful." Ryou scoffed.

Ichigo's temper snapped.

"Shut up Shirogane! He says he can't remember! What more do you want?" She screamed, her hands fisting at her sides.

"I want to know why they're here." Ryou snapped back.

"Because we need your help." Pai said firmly.

"And what do you expect a group of adolescents to do?" Ryou demanded, throwing back his chair and jumping to his feet.

"If I'm not mistaken, these are the same "adolescent" girls we battled two years ago." Pai replied flatly.

"This is different!" Ryou insisted.

"Different?" Pai repeated, drawing himself up to his full height, "Two years ago a majority of the Mews were twelve. None of them had any combat experience yet you specifically selected them to battle aliens with mediocre powers at best. What was running through your head when you made that choice? You had no qualms about sending children into battle then."

Ryou was now positively shaking in outrage. Akasaka also looked highly uncomfortable.

Ichigo frowned. She'd never really thought about her qualifications to be a Mew before. What Pai said made sense. Neither she, nor any of her team, had ever been trained in combat. She could hardly win verbal wars against her classmates and she most certainly had never had any weapons experience prior to becoming a Mew. The only one of them who really had any training had been Zakuro, though she'd only taken self-defense lessons. So, how on earth were a bunch of adolescent girls get chosen to carry the weight of the world?

Ichigo glanced around at her team to see her own questions solidifying on their faces.

"How come you chose us to be Mews?" Berry asked slowly, "He's right. We were not the most qualified to take on such a situation. It would've been better for the government or even the military."

"Che, the government never gets anything done." Ryou snarled.

"But children do?" Tart pressed.

"We didn't have much choice!" Ryou yelled, "Believe me, I would've preferred to have trained operatives go up against your invasion force but –!"

"The Mew Project was illegal." Zakuro said so softly that Ichigo was surprised she'd heard her at all.

"What?" Mint breathed.

"The project was illegal." Zakuro repeated, her gaze zeroing in on Ryou, "You brought the project before the government didn't you? But they turned it down. The animal's DNA that we share are all endangered. Why didn't I see this before? It was illegal for you to extract their DNA and furthermore, it was illegal for you to infuse the DNA into a human!"

Ichigo held her breath, waiting, praying, that Ryou or Akasaka would immediately shoot down the accusation and tell her she was crazy, that that wasn't the case, but none came. Ryou merely looked away while Akasaka covered his face in his hands.

"I think you have some explaining to do." Tart said coldly to the two of them before draping an arm over Pudding's shoulders. Pudding looked like she was about to cry, and Ichigo couldn't blame her. She too felt the hurt and betrayal inflicted by the truth.

Ryou pinched the bridge of his nose, still refusing to make eye contact with his expectant audience.

"H-How about I get some cake. I have a fresh pistachio one this mor –," Akasaka stammered.

"We don't need cake we need truth!" Zakuro interrupted heatedly.

Akasaka sighed in a defeated manner.

"The Mew Project began years ago with Ryou's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane." Akasaka began, "Mrs. Shirogane was the head researcher in the preservation of endangered animals while Mr. Shirogane was an astronomer. Both of them worked for the government at the time because unidentified flying objects had become more frequent. The government could no longer afford to dismiss the call for an investigation. Mr. Shirogane was put in charge of that investigation. Months later, a ship did crash."

"That would've been our first scouting team." Pai intervened, "Were the bodies ever recovered?"

Akasaka shook his head.

"The team would've been ecstatic if they were, but everything was burned to a crisp except for a handful of tiny creatures."

"You mean these?" Kish asked, pulling out a small, see-through creature with tiny, weaving Pilli, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I can't say for sure." Akasaka replied, "Mr. Shirogane let me in on a lot of his research, but Mrs. Shirogane preferred to keep her studies a secret. Any way, it was at this time that Mrs. Shirogane was called in to study those. From what I was allowed to hear, those creatures had the ability to morph creatures and create –."

"Chimeras." Ryou finished.

Akasaka fell silent as Ryou took over.

"In nature, there are naturally occurring chimeras. It's a genetic disorder in which a human has two sets of DNA." He began.

"How is that possible?" Berry interrupted quizzically.

"In the embryonic stage of development, cells forming the embryo split, forming two separate embryos. This is the process that creates identical twins. However, if one of the embryos were to reabsorb the other, the individual would carry two sets of DNA. This is a chimera.

"Using this information, my mother used the alien species as hosts to carry the desired DNA of a certain animal. She then allowed the alien to fuse with an egg of another animal, creating the first multi-creature chimera.

"My mother brought her findings and her creation before representatives of the government. At first they were impressed and published her success. The population, however, was not. Animal rights activists and religious groups denounced her work with claims that this kind of testing was cruelty towards the animals and that it was not humans place to be God. There was enough uproar that the government recalled the publications and ordered the destruction of the chimera. They then told my parents to destroy all their research and they were never to do such experiments again." Ryou sighed, massaging his temple, "Obviously, my parents didn't listen. They continued to experiment to the point were they were working to be able to allow a human to carry animal genes. I volunteered as their first test subject, but that obviously didn't work. A little while later, when I was ten, they created another chimera with human features. However, it was highly unstable and went on a rampage. That rampage killed my parents."

"After that we moved to America and completed the work his parents couldn't." Akasaka continued, picking up from were Ryou had left off, "It was also around that time that a lot of people were beginning to panic over a place in the United States called Area fifty-one. I looked into it and was able to piece together the garbled stories of alien sightings. I had a hunch that Earth was in danger of an invasion. Ryou and I built a small spacecraft that we were able to get into Earth's orbit with out detection. From there we were able to watch for an invasion force. Then, we perfected the Mew Project as a means of offense. All the animals you girls are infused with are either territorial or agile. Even with out fighting experience, the animals' reflexes and would keep them alive."

"Ok, but that doesn't explain the frilly dresses or the weapons." Mint replied skeptically.

"We don't have an explanation for that." Ryou replied, "According to our research, you should've turned into a humanoid like version of the creature, as in the animal half would be dominate, not your human half."

Ichigo shuddered, picturing an image of herself, still the same height, but covered in midnight black fur, naked, and with large feline eyes. Yeah, she preferred how she'd turned out.

"I think the appearance and weapons probably had to do with the personality." Akasaka supplied.

"That's an interesting story and all, but how does this constitute not helping us?" Kish asked, reminding everyone of the problem at hand.

"Because they're accidents." Ryou forced out. There was an in take of breath from everyone except Berry, whose transformation had been a known accident.

"You said so yourself." He continued looking determinedly at Pai so as not to see the girl's hurt faces, "Trained operatives would've been the logical choice."

"But the girls are the ones sitting here." Pai said evenly, "Whether we like it or not, they've been bestowed with a gift and a curse, and right now, we need the help of their abilities."

"What makes you think they're capable of helping?"

"We are." Ichigo said firmly, causing every eye in the room to turn on her. She ignored them; "We will assist you in any way we can."

"Ichigo! You can't be serious!" Ryou exclaimed.

"I am serious." She told him, "We may not be the most qualified, but I for one can not sit here while people, sorry, waulrinswi, are dying. If there's something I can do to help, then I will give it my all."

"You don't even know what you're up against."

"There's only one way to find out."

"You could die!"

"I know."

"What about your parents?"

Ichigo opened her mouth then hesitated. In her minds eye she could see Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama, tears making fresh trails down the side of their cheeks as they stood over Masaya's coffin. What if that was her? What would her parents do if she disappeared only to die on another planet?

"I won't let anything happen to her or any of the Mews." Kish said defiantly.

Ichigo, whose eyes had strayed over to Pai, noticed his face twitch slightly. Never having been a particular fan of the girls and being the most sensible, Ichigo had a feeling Pai disliked making empty promises.

"Ichigo, what about your family?" Ryou asked again.

"I'm sure… I'm sure they'll understand." She lied.

She caught Akasaka studying her out of the corner of her eye, surveying her like he could see right through her. Ichigo averted her gaze to Ryou, standing stiffly and refusing to fidget or bite her lip.

"They don't know do they?" Akasaka asked quietly.

Ichigo's face colored instantly, followed by twin black cat ears that drooped. Was she that easy to read?

"Do any of your relations know? Akasaka sighed, directing his question to the rest of the girls. He was met with an uncomfortable silence as they all looked determinedly away except for Pudding, "Pudding, you're the only one who told your family?"

She nodded.

"I didn't see any reason to keep it a secret from them. My siblings needed to know why I couldn't be there for them at times. My Dad still isn't home and we don't have a mother." She bit her lip then swiveled around to meet Ichigo's eyes a mixture of regret and fear marring her features, "I want to help Ichigo! I really do, but who will take care of my family if I'm not there? I can't abandon them! They're too young to take care of themselves!"

Ichigo stared dumbly for a minute as Pudding burst into tears. She was used to the cute, hyperactive girl, not the responsible eldest of the family. Then, she registered pity. It was too much responsibility to put on a girl Pudding's age.

"Don't worry Pudding. If the rest of us go it should be fine for you to stay."

Pudding's breathing eased, and she was able to manage a watery smile.

"No!" Pai interrupted sharply, a fleeting look of apprehension flashing across his eyes, "No." He repeated, looking calmer, "I'm sorry Pudding, but your reflexes are some of the finest. You're small enough to get in and out of tight spaces and your agility allows you to get in close to an enemy before they can even register what hit them. We need you Pudding."

Pudding now looked extremely torn. Her gaze shifted to the floor as she brought her knees to her chest. Her hands fisted in her hair. It was as close to the fetal position as she could manage in a chair as her eyes pinched shut.

"Listen, I know we've dropped a huge dilemma on your shoulders, but we need help now. Time is running short. We're dying."

"I'm going." Zakuro announced, standing up.

"This is troublesome." Mint grunted, but stood up as well.

"You guys have no idea what you're getting into!" Ryou groaned.

"Maybe not," Lettuce said, speaking for the first time, "but Ichigo's right. If there's a chance we can save some one then we need to try." She smiled and stood up as well. Berry quickly followed.

Pudding began biting her nails.

"Pudding, I will personally watch over your family." Akasaka said kindly, smiling warmly at the small girl.

The entire room stared in stunned silence.

"You're agreeing to this now?" Ryou gaped.

"You know the girls Ryou. Once they've made up their mind, there's no swaying them. You're that way too."

Ichigo's eyes gleamed in silent thanks. He nodded, but then his expression became solemn.

"But Ichigo, bring everyone back alive."

Her gratefulness was quickly replaced with apprehension. Suddenly, it felt like the fate of the world was in her hands.

She gulped and nodded.

"I'm sorry, but we need to go." Pai said quietly.

"At least give them time to contact their families." Ryou interjected, but Pai shook his head.

"I'm afraid we've already spent too much time while we waited for Ichigo to go to Masaya's funeral." Ichigo's breath hitched. She'd hoped no one would've breached the subject, "We need to leave now."

"Their parents deserve to know what's going on." Ryou shot back.

"Every second counts Mr. Shirogane."

"A phone call then!"

"They can call from the ship."

"You ok?" Kish asked as Pai and Ryou continued arguing.

Ichigo's shoulders slumped.

"What am I even going to say Kish? I've never told them, and now I'm going to suddenly be telling them out of the blue and disappear for something I might not even come back from. I don't know if I can do that to them. This is all happening so fast…"

Kish reached out and squeezed her hand.

"You'll come back Ichigo. I won't let anything happen to you."

A few more minutes of shouting and a dented table later, it was decided that Ryou and Akasaka would visit each girl's house to explain to their families who they were and where they had gone.

"Would it be alright for me to write a quick letter?" Ichigo asked, coming to a quick conclusion.

"As long as it's fast." Pai replied, "It better be written by the time the ship's fired up."

Ichigo nodded and thanked Akasaka for the pen and paper he quickly procured. She sat down at the table, pen poised over the paper as the rest of the room cleared out. Only Kish remained, sitting quietly across from her.

_Dear Mom and Dad_ she wrote then paused. How could she possibly explain herself? She glanced at Kish helplessly.

"Just tell them the truth." He told her.

"Yeah, but how…" Ichigo whined.

"Just write. It'll come."

Ichigo placed the pen back on the paper.

_I know this will come as a shock, but I'm a Mew._ She studied the line for a minute before scratching it out. She started again.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_You've always told me that I can tell you anything and that you'd support me in any decision I make. I ask that you support me now. I'm a Mew. My identity is Mew Ichigo. I've been a Mew for two years. I hid this from you guys because I feared your rejection. I heard you guys talking in the living room about how much you disliked my team. I'm sorry I hid this from you, and I wish I had more time to explain, but I don't. Mr. Akasaka and Mr. Shirogane are in my place for that reason._

_However, the reason I'm writing this is to tell you both how much I love you. You taught me everything I know and I am so grateful for it. I am also so grateful for all your love and devotion you've showered me with all these years. It was through your teachings that you taught me the value of all life, which is why I hope you can understand my reasons for going on this mission. I can't turn my back on someone who needs my help. If there's some way I can save my friends from annihilation, then I'm going to put my best effort into it. That's the girl you raised._

_A heart full of love,_

_Ichigo_

Ichigo finished the letter and read over it several times. It was so jumbled yet sparse. There was so much more she could put in there: how she became a Mew, the waulrinswi invasion, the Deep Blue incident, and what they were going to be doing now, but she could hear Pai yelling for Kish, and immediately stood when Kish gently tugged on her upper arm.

She followed him across the café, the letter clutched tightly to her chest, and through the open door. Kish led her down the cement stairs and around to the back of the café, which was occupied by woodlands. He continued into the woods.

Just a few feet in, out of sight of any curious eyes, was a space ship. Not the type she'd seen when fighting Deep Blue, but a large, round, spherical ship. One that glistened alabaster white despite the shade of the trees.

Ichigo gaped at it in awe.

"That's not the ship you had last time." She voiced to Kish.

"No, but it was the only one available." Kish replied.

"What happened to your other ships?" She asked.

"They were destroyed." Kish stated flatly.

"How?"

"We don't know. One morning they were there and the next, every last bit had been torn apart and demolished."

"Do you think it was –?" Ichigo began, but she was interrupted by Pai yelling at them.

"Get on! We need to go!"

Kish and Ichigo hurried to the base of the giant sphere were there was a large, rectangular opening in its underside glowing a pleasant blue. Her team, the other two waulrinswi, Akasaka and Ryou stood just before it, waiting impatiently for their arrival.

"Ichigo, are you sure you're prepared to do this?" Ryou asked, his tone almost pleading.

"I'm sure." Ichigo confirmed with a nod, "Ryou, I have a favor to ask." She held out the sheet of paper, rolled neatly like a scroll, "Please give this to my family."

Ryou took the letter from her with a curt nod. She turned to Akasaka.

"You can't leave with out this." He told her, opening his palm to reveal a small pink machine with large eyes.

"Masha!" She exclaimed. She hadn't seen the small machine since the day she'd found out of Masaya's accident. Ichigo quickly took the computer, which sprung to life and flew to her shoulder. Masha nuzzled her.

Akasaka drew Ichigo into a tight hug.

"Stay safe. Bring everyone home." He murmured in her ear.

"I will." Ichigo promised.

"The ship's ready." Pai announced, "Please everyone, say your final goodbyes and board."

Ichigo hugged Akasaka one more time, then moved out of the way for the rest of the crew to say goodbye. Refusing to look back, she walked towards the soft blue glow like it was calling to her, Masha sitting securely on her shoulder. She held her breath as the soft blue glow seemed to intensify. Something was before her. She reached out her hand tentatively; unsure of what her fingers would meet until she felt something. Whatever was before her rippled like pond water, yet felt as light as air.

"Energy shield." Kish informed her. She looked back at him as he approached, "It's more effective for keeping a stable environment inside than sealed doors and latches."

"So we won't need oxygen tanks or helmets?' Ichigo questioned, drawing on her limited space knowledge.

"Exactly." Kish smiled, "Shall we?" He extended his arm like an old English gentleman.

Ichigo stared at him quizzically for a moment before lacing her arm through his and allowing him to lead her aboard.

She gasped. The interior was positively exquisite. It was like walking into a five star hotel. The tiling of the floor was built in rich mosaics picturing the elements and various waulrinswi deities. Lights lined the floor, giving the interior a soft, warm, glow. Strange floral arrangements grew out of the actual floor, making the areas they grew out of look like pieces of vegetation and their surroundings had been dug up and relocated onto the ship. Further ahead, the floor dipped into a sitting area, complete with couches, tables, and plush armchairs. Off to her right, the area looked like a mini bar and café. Looking left, she almost expected to see a check in desk, but was greeted instead by a spiral, marble staircase. While it seemed to lead to an upper level through a large hole, Ichigo frowned when she saw the same material as the floor. Her gaze drifted across the ceiling. It was an exact carbon copy of the floor: plants, furniture, lights, and all.

"Kish," she said slowly, "please tell me that there's a mirror on the ceiling."

"Nope. There's no ceiling or floor in here." Kish responded proudly, "You see, in space, you never know which direction the craft will flip, therefore, it's built to be convenient in every possible angle."

"This is so surreal." Ichigo breathed in awe.

"It's an amazing ship." Kish agreed, "But unfortunately, it's not the fastest."

"What is this one used for?"

"The royals mainly, or any one of high importance. It's a luxury cruiser."

"I gathered that much."

The rest of the group piled on board. Ichigo could hear the collective gasp of all her teammates, even Zakuro and Mint, who practically bathed in money.

"Everyone, please take a seat any where one is provided. There are seat belts on all the chairs and couches to get you through the take off. Kish, Tart, help me in the control room."

"I'll take you for a tour once we've broken orbit." Kish promised Ichigo before the three aliens disappeared with a loud crack.

"I suppose we should get buckled in then." Zakuro commented, leading the group to the couches and armchairs in the center of the room. They were arranged much like a hotel sitting area, with several groups of couches and chairs centered around a small glass table.

Ichigo studied the furniture as they got closer, the sound of the engine revving sent a humming vibration through the interior. She noted, as they sat down on a set of maroon couches, that everything was bolted tightly to the floor.

The whine of the engine was getting louder.

Ichigo quickly glanced around her seat looking for the seat belt Pai had spoken of. Berry tapped her shoulder and pointed behind her. She immediately reached back and felt the rough exterior of fabric against the plush feel of the couch. She pulled one, then two of those over her shoulder and found the last piece of the seat belt hanging from the front of the couch. These seat belts were designed much like a harness. Ichigo quickly buckled herself in, and felt a familiar tightening in her stomach of anticipation as the engine's growl grew even louder.

"Please keep your hands in feet in the ride at all times." Kish said cheerily over an intercom. It's sound was so acute that he may as well have been sitting next to them.

"Shut up Kish!" Tart yelled.

"I'm only joking! Keep your shirt on!" Kish laughed, "But please do remain seated until your captain gives you the all clear."

"We'll be leaving in five…" Said Pai.

The knot in Ichigo's stomach grew even tighter.

"Four…"

The floor beneath them shuddered.

"Three…"

Ichigo felt the ship groan and shift upwards.

"Two…"

This was it. No turning back.

"One."

The ship was no longer hesitating. It shot straight into the air.

Ichigo was thrown back into the interior of the chair. Even if she wanted to, there was no way she could've moved. The pressure was so intense. It felt like her limbs had suddenly gained thousands of pounds, sinking into the seat. Her chest was tight, her lungs constricted. She squeezed her eyes shut. It was impossible to breath. Everything felt constricted, like someone was trying to pull her through a tight tube.

Then, it was over.

Ichigo's ears rung in the deafening silence that ensued. She opened her eyes slowly.

It wasn't as dark as she'd expected. The lights kept their pleasant glow and the room was just as bright as it'd been back on earth.

Ichigo looked around at her team. Mint looked like her stomach had flown into her mouth; Lettuce had her head in her hands and was breathing heavily; Pudding had her head thrown back, gulping in oxygen like she'd been a drowning victim; Berry was covering her ears; only Zakuro looked somewhat fine, though her hand was shaking violently when she went to brush her hair out of her face.

Ichigo flashed her a shaky smile.

"Passengers, this is your Captain speaking." Pai's voice said over the intercom, "We've broken through the Earth's atmosphere successfully. We are now working to pass through its orbit. Please remain seated until then. Thank you.'

The intercom shut off.

Ichigo glanced over her shoulder. Through the energy shield Ichigo could see Earth rapidly shrinking into the vast darkness of space. It was strange. She'd seen pictures taken of the planet from astronauts that had been published in her textbooks, but it was not the same as actually seeing it. An image could not capture the vast, majestic feel of the planet, or the tug it exerted on its occupants as they tried to leave the safety of its interior. The pictures did not capture that radiating glow, or the complete and total silence that made the planet of life seem like the only one like it in the galaxy. It was breath taking.

Mother Earth's hold gave one last tug as they drew level with the moon, then, she had no choice but to relinquish it to the dark, empty, abyss of space as they deserted her orbit. They were beyond her reach now.

"We have successfully left the Earth's orbit. You may unbuckle your seat belts as soon as I –," the rest of whatever Pai was going to say was drowned out by Pudding giving an excited shriek. She immediately unbuckled and drifted into the air, revealing in the absence of gravity. She pushed herself away from the couch, flipping over into a backflip.

"Pudding, you were supposed to stay sitting until –!" Lettuce exclaimed, when all of a sudden the crafted shifted and revolved several times, ending with them all hanging upside down.

The rest of the girls quickly unbuckled and floated out of their chairs.

"What were you saying Lettuce?" Berry asked.

"I think I heard wrong." Lettuce mumbled, coloring up, "I thought Pai said he was going to turn on –,"

A humming sound went through the ship, and before Lettuce could finish what she was saying, all six of them were hurtling towards the ground. Ichigo quickly tucked and rolled in mid air, narrowly avoiding the glass table before landing gracefully on the couch.

" –the gravity." Lettuces finished sheepishly, rubbing an angry red mark on her forehead were it had hit the corner of one of the armchairs.

"Is everyone ok?" Zakuro asked.

They all replied that they were fine.

Ichigo leaped over the back of the couch, heading over to the energy shield. If she thought the Earth looked lonely, then the moon was positively desolate. It wasn't small by any means, that's how close they still were. If she squinted she could even see the American flag embedded in its surface. But compared to the Earth, it was small. It didn't have the same glow, and it didn't radiate of life and promise. It was as cold and empty as space.

"Wow, I never imagined I'd see the moon up close." Berry murmured, stopping next to Ichigo to watch as it slowly began to shrink away.

"I know." Ichigo agreed.

"Though, to be honest, I never dreamed of going to space." Berry giggled.

"What were you thinking of being?" Ichigo asked.

"A nurse." The blonde replied, " A lot of my family's in the medical field."

"Do they like it?"

"Most of the time, yeah. What about you? What have you thought about pursuing?'

Ichigo laughed humorlessly, "My Dad always asks me that question. I'm still undecided though."

"Well don't worry, you have plenty of time." Berry replied cheerily before walking back to the rest of the group.

Ichigo watched her go hoping she was right. She hoped that they all had plenty of time.

"Hello!"

Ichigo nearly jumped out of her skin. Quickly regaining her composure she spun around to face Kish.

"Don't do that!" She exclaimed.

"Do what?" He asked innocently.

"Appear behind me like that! What does it take to give a girl a bit of warning?"

"Oh lighten up." Kish laughed, slinging an arm carelessly over her shoulders, "I promised I'd give you a tour didn't I?"

Ichigo glanced uncomfortably at the arm around her shoulders. It was too friendly, too familiar. She ducked out of his embrace.

"Yes, you did, and you better show me every inch of it."

Kish's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Alright! Right this way –."

"Hold on a minute Kish.' Pai commanded, appearing in the room, "Would everyone please take a seat? There are some matters I wish to discuss."

Ichigo glanced imploringly at Kish. He shrugged, and the two of them returned to the sitting area.

"Currently, we are traveling at two thousand light-years per minute. That is the fastest this ship goes. This will bring us to Sorquseum Promos in about a month's time, Earth time any way. While you are here, you are our most honored guests. Please, make yourselves at home. As I understand it, Kish is going to give you all a tour." Kish began to make a sound of protest, but was quelled by a look from the older waulrinswi, "You are welcome anywhere except for the control room and my quarters. The control room because everything is currently up and running smoothly on autopilot, and I don't want anyone messing that up. I highly doubt any of you have piloting experience. My room, because I like a certain degree of privacy. So far, are there any questions?"

Ichigo shook her head.

"Good. Now, it has come to my attention that you girls are not trained warriors.  
>He held up a hand to hold off an angry retort from Zakuro, "You are experienced fighters. I, we, have already acknowledged this, otherwise we wouldn't be asking for your help. You are fighters, but you have not yet had to learn the art of survival. This is not your home. You're on a new turf. Meals are not prepared and served to you by your parents. Medical attention is not a block around the corner. You need to learn from the basics. Therefore, for the next month we're stuck on this ship, Kish, Tart, and myself will teach you how to survive. We will also train you in a variety of weapons as well as in hand to hand combat. This is not a vacation. Every moment on this ship will be in training except to for meals and sleep. When we touch down, we're at war, and you best be prepared."<p>

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter, and thank you to all who reviewed. I must say, it's been interesting to hear everyone's theories on what's going on with Kish. Don't worry, all shall be revealed in time.

Editors, I got my friend to come look at this chapter. You're still welcome to edit and send me a message with what I can fix. I just wanted to get this out as quick as possible.

Thanks!


	6. Premonition

Chapter 5

Premonition

They spent the rest of the day getting a tour of the entire craft. The first room Kish had shown them had been the most amazing by far. It was the training room, which included everything but weights and work out equipment. Due to the uncertainty of space, it was not considered safe to have them on board. Instead, the room was lined with a large array of weaponry; some Ichigo recognized from action movies and some she'd never seen before. All the weapons were bolted to the wall and kept safe by a cerulean blue light that acted as a force field. It was used as a means of protection, by keeping loose weapons from striking an unexpected passerby in the case of a rotation, and as a form of security. The weapons were locked when the force field was up and could only be accessed by a palm scan. Like the rest of the craft, the grey metallic material of the floor was reflected on the ceiling; however, the room was built in a circular formation and ran the circumference of the ship. The room also had a wide arrange of targets, plants at random intervals (sometimes even growing out of the walls), a climbing wall, an intricate structure of netting that looked like a spiders' web and doors. Lots and lots of doors. Each door, Kish explained, led into a type of simulated battle or to another part of the ship, you never really knew which. He'd opened one to show them, revealing a land of grey sands and howling winds under a blood red sky. All of these rooms were not lethal, but highly accurate in how a training warrior would survive in a certain type of environment.

After Kish had shown them every inch of the training room, he'd led them out into a vast hallway. Unlike the rest of the craft, this particular hallway had been dark, and lit with flickering candles that cast shadows across a wide arrange of paintings. Each of the paintings were weighted so that they would always be upright. Kish had allowed them to take a few minutes in the hallway to examine the paintings. As far as Ichigo could tell, the paintings were in a medieval style, showing somber waulrinswi warriors and nobles, landscapes and planets she'd never seen before, and battles. Nearly every other painting was an image of blood shed and battle.

"This hallway reflects a particularly dark period in our history." Kish explained, " A lot of the hallways on this craft carry paintings that reflect important people, events, and places in our history."

He led them on, showing them into a large dining room. It was not the kind of dining room Ichigo expected. After seeing the handsomely decorated entranceway, she'd expected white clothed tables, warm colored walls, probably in a red hue, with pillar structures lining curtained windows. Instead, it was almost like stepping into the middle of a forest. Moss covered the soft floor, and trees grew close together like they were in the farthest reaches of an untouched forest. There were picnic tables through out the room with lights embedded in the center of their surface that lit the room in a soft glow. Though Kish explained that the majority of the plant life in the room was synthetic, it still gave Ichigo the feeling that she was camping out in the woods.

The next room he showed them was the library, fashioned like a lighthouse in a cylinder shape with a large, spiral staircase that led to each of the ten levels. Each end of the staircase had a comfortable sitting area and coffee tables. Lettuce had been particularly delighted to discover that the library contained all manner of books, starting from stone carvings and hieroglyphs to small portable devices that contained a vast number of books on them like the eBook.

The room after that appeared to be some sort of ballroom, with polished tile floors and chandeliers that looked like decorative icicles. However, instead of hanging from the ceiling, these chandeliers jutted out from the sides of the wall, ranging in color and size. It took Ichigo a little while to realize that the entire room was decorated to look like the inside of a cave, and that the chandeliers resembled stalactites and gems.

"We appreciate some of the comforts of Earth, but when it comes down to it, we're most at home in the creations of nature." Kish informed them.

"One wonders why you'd ever need to land." Zakuro muttered under her breath.

"Lots of reasons." Kish chortled, "One, is that space provisions do not last forever; two, water runs out quickly since it's used to power the ship and its occupants; and three, this ship isn't large enough to support our entire population."

"Well that explains it." Lettuce grinned.

"This ship runs off water?" Ichigo asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah, that's why the ship's not as big as it seems. Only one-third of it is for living space, and the other two-thirds of it are water containment and emergency fuel systems."

"So then we still haven't seen the bedrooms, bathrooms, control room, or where we are staying." Mint commented, counting them off on her fingers.

"Well, there's a bathroom in each room, then there's one more entry way in case the ship lands on the opposite end."

Pudding yawned widely.

"I suppose it's time to see those rooms." Berry laughed.

"This way then." Kish grinned.

He led them into another hallway and past a bolted door that looked like an old fashioned safe.

"What's in there?" Mint inquired.

"That's the control room. I'd show it to you guys but Pai said no. Sorry about that."

"We'll be fine." Zakuro replied, "He has good reasons for keeping us out. No offense guys, but I don't trust any of you driving the ship."

They laughed heartily, following Kish into a wing of the ship full of metal doorways. He stopped in the middle.

"Each door leads to a different room. The ship is built to hold a maximum of fifty-four waulrinswi. Each room has two beds with an adjoining bathroom to the next room. Pick whichever room you'd like. Pai's room is the furthest to your left. Tart and I are sharing the room across from his. When you're done, return to the dining room for dinner. Any questions?"

"How will we find the dining room?" Pudding immediately asked.

"Each room contains a map with a layout of the ship as well as a hologram beside each bed. Anything else?"

"We didn't bring anything with us." Mint began at once, "Are hair and toothbrushes provided?'

Kish stared at her strangely.

"What?" Mint demanded.

"What's a toothbrush?" He asked.

Mint and Zakuro deadpanned.

"You know, a brush that you use with toothpaste to brush your teeth." Mint giggled.

"What's brushing your teeth?"

"You mean you've never used a toothbrush or toothpaste?" Zakuro asked incredulously.

"No, why would we?" Kish responded with a frown.

"Because it keeps your teeth clean so they don't rot and fall out." Mint explained, looking increasingly concerned about Kish's lack of hygiene knowledge.

"You keep your teeth clean by putting paste in your mouth?" Kish asked, looking apauld.

"It's the only way to keep from getting cavities." Mint replied.

"What are cavities?"

"You don't know what cavities are?" Zakuro blanched.

"No, what are they?"

Zakuro sighed, "Cavities are decay in the tooth that causes it to rot and fall out. Therefore fluoride is used in toothpaste to clean the teeth to prevent this."

Kish looked quizzical for a moment, scratching the top of his head. Then, something akin to understanding dawned on him and he clapped his hands together.

"Oh! I know what you're talking about! The tooth grows black and falls out right?"

They nodded.

"Well that's no big deal, it just grows right back, usually within a couple of days." He laughed, looking highly relieved, "And here I thought it was something highly important." He lapsed into a fit of giggles, but stopped when he realized none of the girls were joining in, "What? Your teeth grow back don't they?"

"Only once." Ichigo replied.

"Are you saying your teeth are like that of a shark's?" Lettuce wondered aloud.

"Sharks are those large, cartilaginous, deep sea predators right?" Kish asked.

Lettuce nodded in conformation.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because a shark's teeth grow endlessly. Since they're made out of cartilage, when one falls out another is easily able to take its place, but mammals have calcium-based bones that are embedded in the skull. Most mammals only have two rounds of teeth, one when they're born, and one more set that grows in and replaces the old as they mature."

"Oh…" Kish said, letting the information he'd just heard soak in, "Well, I can check with Pai to see if we have anything like this fluoride based paste you've described, but I don't think we do."

"Well my Dad's going to be thrilled." Zakuro chuckled sarcastically, "He's an Orthodontist." She explained.

Kish looked confused again.

"What's an Orthodontist?"

"Some one who specializes in teeth." Zakuro replied.

"Why would," Kish began, then paused and shook his head, "Never mind. I'll go talk with Pai. See everyone at dinner." And on that parting note, he disappeared.

"Oh my god, they don't have toothbrushes!" Mint groaned.

"You'll be fine." Zakuro laughed, "After all, our ancestors didn't."

"Yeah, and that's why their teeth were black." Mint replied with a grimace.

"It's not that bad." Pudding chimed in, "My siblings and I were unable to afford toothpaste at one point, so we just used water."

Far from reassuring her, Mint looked practically mortified.

"Um, let's go pick out rooms, then go eat." Lettuce suggested.

Glad some one else had said it and not her, Ichigo jumped at the change of subject. Mint would've killed her if she'd been the one to suggest it.

"Good idea! Berry, do you want to share a room?"

"Sure," the blonde agreed.

Ichigo turned swiftly and made a beeline for the first metal door that she saw. She made to open it when she realized that there wasn't a doorknob. Confused, she scanned the entire doorway before her eyes landed on a small button to the right. She glanced at Berry, who shrugged and reached past her to press it. The doors immediately parted in the middle, revealing a small, bland room with cabinets for personal belongings, two desks at opposite ends, and a chair at each one. The room was lit by soft lights emanating from the floor and ceiling, which, like the rest of the craft, was a carbon copy of itself. The beds, which looked more like plush sleeping bags, were tacked firmly onto the walls.

"They really thought this ship out." Berry murmured in amazement as she entered the room.

Ichigo made a sound of agreement as she followed her inside.

The door slid closed behind them, revealing more than they'd originally seen. From the outside, it had appeared to be a bland, whitewashed, area, but inside, the walls were painted to resemble the galaxies. Sleeping would be just like lying amongst the stars.

"Whoa." Ichigo breathed.

After exploring each of the room, each with an adjoining bathroom that held a basin for water, wash clothes, and a toilet, but no shower, to Mint's horror, the girls had each decided on a room. Mint and Zakuro had decided on one that was painted to resemble a day at the beach. Lettuce and Pudding had picked one that looked like it was beneath the waters of an ocean, and, although Berry and Ichigo had been impressed with the galaxy room, they'd decided on one that resembled a tropical rainforest.

"Ok, so we're here." Lettuce said slowly, staring at a map she'd found in one of the drawers, "And we need to get here." She traced her finger from where they were to the dining room.

"But how do we get there?' Pudding asked, voicing what everyone was thinking aloud as she studied the winding pathways that led all over the place.

Ichigo looked over the small girl's shoulders, then to the end of the wing they were in. They'd been standing in the middle of the hallway to the bedrooms for, at least, twenty minutes now, trying to figure out how to get to the dining room. They'd found the maps Kish was talking about in the desk drawers, but he'd forgotten to mention that they weren't in their language.

"How do we even know we're there?" Zakuro asked, pointing at another section, "Doesn't this look more like our area?"

"No, that's the ballroom." Mint interjected uncertainly.

Lettuce flipped the map over, held it up to the lights, and even tried looking at it upside down.

"Let's just try to retrace our steps." Berry suggested, and with out waiting for the rest of them to contemplate her input, she set off down the hall. She stopped at the end, looking at the option of doorways before shrugging and picking the nearest one.

"Anyone remember how we got here?" Zakuro inquired.

They shook their heads.

"Found it!" Berry called, waving frantically for them to follow.

Twenty minutes later, they were hopelessly lost. Ichigo couldn't believe how many doors the place had. Over half the doors they'd found had been to the training room, but as annoying as that was; it told them they needed to track further into the interior. Along the way they'd also found several storage cupboards, plenty of them heavily secured weapons closets, and a dressing room. Why there was a random dressing room in the middle of the ship, Ichigo couldn't fathom. They figured they were getting closer when they stumbled across a pantry.

Ichigo looked up and down the hall, trying to recall any land markings she might've seen her first time through. Like the rest of the hallways, this hallway had a lush red carpet and a soft glow from the lights that hummed from the floor and ceiling, along with brilliantly colored paintings. The paintings, she noticed, were all still lives of food, feasts, and important celebrations.

"Well, we're getting close." Ichigo remarked, pointing out the paintings.

"Suppose we just open doors until we find the forest." Zakuro grumbled.

"I'll find it!" Pudding exclaimed, vaulting down the hallway to the next door. She threw it open, "Not this one!" _SLAM!_ She cartwheeled to the following door, "Or this one!" _SLAM!_

"Pudding calm down!" Mint snapped.

"Third time's the charm!" Pudding sang, "Nope, not this time!"

"I wonder how long they've been waiting for us." Lettuce wondered aloud.

"Feels like hours." Ichigo replied, placing a hand over her growling stomach.

"Do you suppose they have any food? That pantry looked empty." Berry remarked, also placing a hand over her stomach.

"They must. How else would they survive in space for so long?" Zakuro said in a reasonable tone, "What I'm worried about is if we'll be able to eat it."

Ichigo, Lettuce, and Mint looked at her in confusion, but Berry nodded in understanding.

"We may not be able to physically digest it." Berry explained.

"Why not?" Mint demanded.

"If the food's not from Earth, it may not agree with our biological make up."

"This is a pain." Mint sighed.

"Found it!" Pudding exclaimed, bouncing up and down at the door furthest down the hall like an excited puppy.

"Thank goodness." Lettuce breathed as they quickly ran to catch up with their hyperactive teammate.

"Took you long enough." Tart scoffed when they'd finally entered into the dining room. The three waulrinswi were already there, each sitting at the picnic table closest to the door.

"We got lost." Ichigo informed them, taking the seat Kish stood up to offer her.

Tart had opened his mouth to say something, but was tackled to the ground by Pudding.

"Taruto!" She exclaimed, "What's for dinner? Did you know this ship –?"

How did you get lost?" Kish asked the rest of them as they sat down, "I told you about the maps didn't I?"

"Yes, but you forgot to mention they're not in our language." Berry replied.

Kish looked confused for a minute, then the realization dawned on him.

"Oh, right, sorry about that." He apologized, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, we figured it out in the end." Zakuro shrugged.

"That's good." Pai said in an indifferent manner.

"Kish, did you ask Pai about –?" Mint began, but Pai interrupted her.

"Yes, Kish told me about this tooth care of yours. We don't have anything like he described, and personally, I think you should be ashamed of yourselves for worrying over such a trivial matter when our people are dying."

Mint had opened her mouth to retort, but when he'd finished with an icy glare, she fell silent, hanging her head.

"That was a bit harsh Pai." Kish frowned.

"It's true." Pai replied, not looking the least bit concerned for what he'd said.

'Be that as it may, they're still our guests and have put everything aside in order to help us." Kish reasoned.

Pai rolled his eyes.

"Let's get dinner on the table before the ship decides to flip." He stated.

"What are we having?" Pudding called from the floor.

"What I put on the table." Pai snapped impatiently.

"Pai!" Kish barked. Pudding and Tart had stopped wrestling and the small girl was looking at the eldest waulrinswi like he had slapped her across the face.

Pai cast a glare in Kish's direction before disappearing on the spot.

Kish sighed irritably, running a hand through the green fibers of his hair.

"What's his problem?" Zakuro growled, staring daggers at the spot where he'd been.

"I don't know. He's been like this since we were given the mission." Kish sighed, "Don't take it personally Pudding. Tart and I have been getting an earful."

Pudding nodded.

"Personally, I thought he might've been excited for the chance to go back to Earth." His golden eyes flashed in Lettuce's direction. She looked back at him quizzically, "However…" He trailed off with a helpless shrug.

"Has he been alright?" Lettuce asked softly.

"Don't know." Kish replied, "He spends most of his time holed up in his room."

Lettuce bit her lip looking concerned.

"He'll be fine." Kish reassured her, "He gets like that from time to time."

Pai reappeared suddenly, balancing a large platter of food including a large roasted turkey, steamed vegetables, and rice.

Ichigo gawked at the food as Pai set it down in front of them.

"Where did you get all this?" She couldn't help asking.

"I had plenty of time to prepare it while we were waiting for you." Pai replied, waving his hand and summoning eating utensils from, what seemed like thin air, until Ichigo realized one of the tables had pockets with an assortment of dishes. Plates, forks, knives, and napkins landed softly in front of each occupant, followed by a pitcher of water, "I was lucky the ship didn't flip while I was cooking. It's dangerous to use the stove while we're in flight…"

"Why did you?' Lettuce asked, so softly, her voice was barely over a whisper.

Pai glanced at her for a while, as if contemplating his answer.

"To make you all feel more at home." He finally replied.

Lettuce's face burned a fiery shade of red, but the rest of the girls continued to glare at Pai coldly as he cut the turkey and served everyone.

Ichigo accepted her plate with a quiet thanks. Pai's behavior confused her. He'd been the one to enlist their help, had made it clear that their assistance was vital, yet he was acting as if he loathed their presence. Had he been against seeking their help? It was plausible. Being a warrior, it must've been hard to admit weakness to a former enemy.

Ichigo sifted through the rice on her plate with her fork, studying Pai as he dished out supper. She wanted to believe that he was worried about them, that he was against enlisting them in what they deemed to be a futile battle, but something in her gut told her that wasn't the case. She had a sinking feeling that her mews didn't know what was going on at all.

She glanced at Kish, on her left, who was in a deep conversation with Zakuro as he tried to grasp the concept of college. Kish was curious and intrigued, asking Zakuro more and more questions before she could even answer the first few. As far as she could tell, he was acting like his normal self. Tart also appeared normal, hollering at Pudding one moment, then laughing with her the next, so why was Pai so subdued?

Ichigo studied Pai silently as she ate. He seemed to be brooding over something as he pushed food around his plate, quickly disengaged from any conversation Lettuce tried to start with him, and answered everyone else in clipped, one-worded answers.

"Oy, Ichigo!" Kish called, punching her in the shoulder lightly to get her attention.

Ichigo yelped, nearly upturning her plate of food.

"Quit playing with your food and eat it before the ship flips." Kish laughed.

"What did you punch me for?" Ichigo grumbled, rubbing her shoulder.

"Well, we called your name several times." Zakuro replied, though she sounded worried, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're extra spacey, and, well, you're not as bright and cheerful as you usually are." Zakuro told her, looking concerned.

"I'm fine, really." Ichigo reassured her.

"No Ichigo, you're not. You've had a really rough day, not to mention past few weeks, and barely enough time to even focus on your inner feelings."

"What?" Ichigo asked blankly.

"It was today wasn't it? Masaya's funeral."

Ichigo felt like she'd been slammed in the gut.

"Oh." She mouthed, her gaze dropping to the table. Suddenly, she wasn't hungry any more. She pushed away her barely touched plate of food, "Yeah, it was."

"How was it?" Zakuro pressed, despite Ichigo wishing she'd just drop it.

"It was a nice reception." Ichigo said shortly.

"No it wasn't." Kish interjected, "That woman didn't even know him. For us, only family members and friends are ever allowed to speak in the memory of the fallen."

Ichigo shot him a glare, but Zakuro asked accusingly, "Why were you there?"

"Moral support." Kish replied offhandedly.

"Despite me telling him not to come." Ichigo growled in a low voice.

"You should've known I wouldn't miss it. For the waulrinswi, even when a rival dies, out of respect, the living victor attends their pyre."

"How different are you customs?" Zakuro asked, her eyes now glinting with interest. Ichigo inwardly breathed again. The conversation was no longer focused on her mental state.

Kish shrugged.

"Probably not as different as you'd expect, though we've existed much longer."

"How much longer?"

Kish thought for a moment, "Well, the last time we were on Earth, this was ages ago, I wasn't even born yet, but I was told there were these giant reptilian like creatures."

Ichigo gawked openly at him.

"The waulrinswi saw the dinosaurs?"

"I guess, if that's what they're called." Kish replied, "Why didn't we see any when we were on earth?"

"They're extinct." Zakuro informed him, "They died millions of years ago."

"Shame," Kish pouted, "I heard they were truly a sight to behold, though to dangerous to coexist with."

"Why were the waulrinswi on Earth?" Zakuro asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the history of the alien species.

"Well, we needed a home." Kish replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" Ichigo inquired.

"Over one hundred billion years ago, our home planet, Gaea, was destroyed."

"By what?" Zakuro questioned.

"Our ancestors. They destroyed our home planet through green house gases, war, pollution, and so on."

"That's why you accused the humans of destroying Earth when you first came." Ichigo realized aloud.

Kish nodded, "We grew up with the horror stories of waste and destruction, but ultimately, what killed Gaea was our sun burned out. With the sun gone, the planet slowly froze and died. No creatures on the planet survived, in fact, those that did survive were government officials, and those that could afford to board a spacecraft. Everyone else was left to die of hypothermia and starvation."

"So coming to Earth was a painful reminder of all your people's mistakes.' Zakuro summarized.

"Exactly," Kish confirmed, "We're not so different when you think about it. Sure, we're technically a different species, come from another world, have larger ears and powers, but we're actually very close. What's that term…?"

"Parallel evolution." Zakuro supplied.

"Yes!" Kish exclaimed.

"So knowing all of this, how do the waulrinswi live now?" Ichigo inquired.

"Well, for centuries now, we've been nomads until we came across our most previous planet, nicknamed Hope. That's were I was born, and through my childhood, it was a beautiful, lush planet, full of the promise of life. However, when I was about eight, I think, earth years, an asteroid hit the planet, knocking it out of orbit. Everything was decimated, and every weather pattern was hazardous, forcing us to take shelter underground. That's when we started looking for another planet."

"That would be around the time you came to Earth then." Ichigo stated, "I remember you telling me about the state of your world."

Kish grinned, "Good memory. Yes, that would be around then."

"Alright, everyone please return to your rooms for bed." Pai said suddenly, standing up from the table, "I want everyone up early and in the training room by six, Earth time."

"How will we know when it's six?" Lettuce questioned.

"I'll set an alarm. When you hear it, get there within twenty minutes. Kish, Tart, take care of the dishes." He said briskly before disappearing.

"Aw, I hate dish duty." Kish whined.

"Quit complaining." Tart snapped.

"We can help." Ichigo offered, picking up her plate as she stood.

"Nah, it's alright, you're our guests." Kish replied, taking her plate from her. He looked at her still laden plate before passing it back to her, "Never mind, you stay here and eat."

"I'm not hungry." Ichigo replied, sounding like a stubborn five year old.

Kish quirked a brow, "I don't care, you're not leaving the table until it's licked clean."

"I said I wasn't hungry!" Ichigo exclaimed angrily.

"And I know that you've hardly eaten since he died, so finish the plate."

Ichigo felt a lump rise in her throat. Why did everyone keep having to bring up his death?

Without another word, she picked up her fork and started shoveling food into her mouth until it nearly exploded. She could hardly taste the food, but eating, at the moment, was more of a means of not talking.

Kish smiled smugly.

She rolled her eyes and washed down the food with a gulp of water before delving into the next bite.

She ate quickly, with Kish watching her like a hawk to make sure she ate every bite. When she'd finished, he took the plate from her, rounded up the rest of the dishes, then disappeared with Tart.

Ichigo scowled after them.

"Well, time to try and find the rooms." Berry said in fake cheer, drawing a tired laugh from the rest of her team.

Luckily, getting back to the rooms was a lot easier than getting to the dining room. In the wing, they went their separate ways.

"So, how do you suppose we get in the beds?" Berry asked dubiously, staring at the sleeping bag look alikes bolted to the walls.

The door slid closed behind Ichigo as she walked towards the one closest to the bathroom. Instead of having a zipper off to the side, there was one long one that ran down the middle.

Ichigo pulled the zipper back, revealing an in cove in the wall complete with pillows and blankets that matched the theme of the room. The in cove was large enough for a single person to sleep comfortably on any of its sides, almost like a solid hammock.

Ichigo looked back and forth between the outer sleeping back and the nest before she realized the simplicity behind her misunderstanding.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "I get it! Like everything else on this ship, the beds are designed to hold some one in incase the ship flips while they're asleep."

"Should've guessed." Berry muttered, unzipping hers and crawling in, "What do you suspect we'll need to do for clothes and our other hygiene needs?"

"I think we'll get told there are more important things to worry about." Ichigo grinned, as she too crawled into the nest and zipped herself in. Like a sleeping bag, the head area was open so they could see each other.

Berry laughed.

"I almost felt bad for Mint, but I was also kind of shocked she was worried about that in light of the waulrinswi's situation."

"I know." Ichigo agreed.

"More importantly, how have you been?" Ichigo heard the blankets shift as Berry rolled over, and could feel her eyes searching her, "You told us about what happened to Masaya. I'm so sorry."

Ichigo swallowed as the lights blinked out.

"I haven't been great." Ichigo admitted.

"But judging by how coherent you are, you must've already gone through the five stages of denial."

Ichigo fell silent, remembering her anger, her depression, everything she'd gone through since his death.

"I suppose." She said bitterly.

"I know it doesn't mean much, but your friends are here for you."

"Thanks Berry." Ichigo murmured.

"Let me know if you ever need to talk about it." She yawned, "Night Ichigo."

"Good night Berry." Ichigo replied, rolling over onto her other side. Whether it was the sudden excursion to space, or the events of the day catching up on her, Ichigo didn't know, but the moment her eyelids had drifted shut, she'd fallen fast asleep.

Ichigo found herself surrounded by greenery. Large, leafy plants reached out to her from beneath the canopy of majestic trees. Flowers, in a variety of size and color, grew amongst the green, giving off a strong, almost intoxicating aroma. All around her she could hear a steady variety of life. Her extra sensitive, feline ears, twitched wildly as they followed the calls of the birds, the steady dripping of water, monkeys chattering in trees, and even the soft hum of the insects.

Ichigo breathed in deeply, the new smells wrapping her in theirs scents of pollen, fresh rain, growth, and abundant life, yet, just as she was beginning to feel content with her surroundings, the tropical forest suddenly fell silent.

The hairs on Ichigo's neck stood on end as the pleasantly warm temperature seemed to drop drastically and the suns glow, though partially hidden by the upper canopy, seemed to blink out like a light that had been switched out. Ichigo felt the cold tendrils of dread begin to creep upon her, wrapping around her like a dark python, squeezing the breath from within. She was being watched.

She exhaled slowly, trying pointlessly to control her erratically beating heart. Tapping into her feline genes, her vision suddenly came into sharp focus. She could see further into the shrubbery, past the shadows that would've normally restricted her. She could see everything as if dialing the focus on a camera's lens. With this focus, she could see down to the finest details of the veins stretching across a leaf, of the ants scurrying across the forest floor, and even, as if by a sixth sense, a shadow that flitted in and out of the trees.

Ichigo crouched low over her center of gravity, ready to either fight or high tail it out of there if the situation arose. She scanned the area slowly, keeping her eyes peeled for the mysterious shadow.

_There!_

Ichigo whirled around, catching sight of an unnatural green blur before it camouflaged into the flora, making her wonder if she'd really seen anything at all.

Just when she was beginning to doubt her sanity, a twig snapped close by.

Ichigo froze up at once. Something was definitely there.

Exhaling again, Ichigo cautiously dug her heel into the ground. It was soft and pliable, giving terrain because of the moisture.

Keeping her ears alert, Ichigo dropped her eyes to the ground. She quickly found what she was looking for right by her feet. Moving as slowly as possible, she brought down a red-booted foot onto a twig. It bent, but did not break.

Ichigo's blood ran cold. Whatever was stalking her was big, and judging by the way the other critters had fled the scene, she was facing a predator, one she probably could not take down alone in a fight. Her best option would be to run.

Cautiously, she took a step forward. When nothing jumped out at her, she took another, then another. Still, nothing.

Suddenly, a deafening scream broke the quiet of the forest.

Ichigo froze instantly, her eyes swiveling in the direction she'd heard it from. It couldn't be…

"Mint!" she shrieked, all thought of the creature stalking her being pushed aside as she tore through the undergrowth, yet she could tell it was still there. Even as she ran, impatiently pushing leafy plants and branches out of her way, she could hear it. It didn't make as much noise as she did. It was certainly a practiced silent killer the way it effortlessly maneuvered across the terrain.

_"Don't think about that now."_ Ichigo told herself firmly. She needed to get to Mint.

Ichigo finally tore through a group of trees into an area with a bubbling creek, and stopped dead. The creek was a bright red color; in fact, the entire area was bathed in the blood of her teammates. Lettuce lay flat on her stomach, arms outstretched like she'd been trying to crawl her way to the water's edge. Her entire back was bathed in blood from a wound that completely severed her lower spine. One of her legs was completely missing. Not far from her lay Berry, the purity and innocence of her form marred by the bright crimson elixir of life. Her eyes spoke of fear and desperation, while her mouth was opened in a never-ending scream. Rigor mortis had hit with her hand clutching at her chest where her ribs seemed to have burst out from within. Next to her was the body of Pudding. Sweet, innocent, hyperactive Pudding, who now lay there dull and lifeless, her expression too was one of abject fear. Ichigo was almost relieved to see that Zakuro and Mint were not there until her gaze fell onto a scattered assortment of limbs and purple clothing, covered in blood. She followed the trail to Zakuro's disembodied head, which was barely recognizable due to the appalling damage that had been done to it. While the left side was perfectly intact, though smattered with blood, chunks of flesh and her eye were missing.

Ichigo's knees shook as she fell to the ground, gazing in horror at the corpses that surrounded her.

What the hell had happened? What on Earth could've done this? Her friends! Her comrades!

Ichigo doubled over as sobs raked her entire frame. She hadn't been in time! She couldn't stop it! She couldn't save them!

Tears flowed fast and freely from her eyes before she threw her head back and let out an anguished cry. She tore at the ground, threw whatever she could find, and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. She was so overcome by her grief that she nearly missed the pained whimper that came from her right.

Sobs halting quickly, Ichigo immediately whipped around. Mint was still alive!

Almost crying in relief, Ichigo jumped to her feet and ran to her friend.

Mint's face was as white as a sheet. Her hair was wild and unkempt, sticking to her face. She was breathing heavily, fresh tear tracks outlining the curves of her cheeks.

"Mint!" Ichigo gasped, falling to her knees and feeling the other girl's forehead. She was burning up, 'Mint! Mint! What happened?"

Mint merely groaned, one hand reaching out blindly to grasp Ichigo's.

Ichigo took her hand, waiting on tender hooks for her to answer, but what she heard was not what she'd been expecting.

"Run Ichigo!" Mint gargled, coughing up a mouthful of blood that went all over the two of them.

"What's going on?" Ichigo pressed, gripping Mint's hand tighter as the girl gave a pained gasp.

Mint scrunched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as another spasm of pain over took her. Her muscles tightened, straining against her skin like it was fit to burst.

"You need to get out of here." Mint managed, her free hand moving to clutch at her chest.

"What's going on?" Ichigo repeated, fighting to keep her voice under control.

"Leave!" Mint gasped desperately.

"No!" Ichigo said firmly.

Mint opened her mouth to yell at her when she suddenly fell silent, and bother their eyes fell to her heaving chest. It had suddenly pushed out then fell in, like her heart was trying to push out of her body.

Mint's pupils dilated in fear.

Ichigo's reflexes were shouting for her to jump up and flee the area before it was too late, but she could only watch in horror as Mint's chest was forced to breaking point. She heard as the sternum was ripped clear from the rib bones, recede, then suddenly Mint's chest cavity was ruptured open in a geyser of blood, dousing Ichigo's face, yet it did not keep her from seeing the movement beneath the skin, or of the one lone talon that snaked out from within her friend.

"Run." Mint whispered on her dying breath.

Ichigo awoke with an ear splitting scream, covered in an icy layer of sweat.

* * *

><p>AN:

I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. I lacked some motivation on the slower parts, and it took me a little while to get an editor, but here's the first chapter I'm posting that's been edited!

Please enjoy!

Also, if there's something you'd like to see in the story, please let me know. I have about two more chapters to kill on the ship, and I need some ideas to play off of.

Again, sorry for the long wait. I'll try not to take so long on the next chapter!


	7. An Unexpected Lesson

Chapter 6

In an instant, the zipper to her bed was ripped open.

"Ichigo! Are you alright?" Berry gasped, immediately coming to her aid.

Ichigo shook her head breathing heavily.

"What happened?"

"N-Nightmare." She gasped, wrapping her arms about herself and shivering as she gazed wide-eyed at the room at large. She couldn't get rid of those images! Every time she blinked she saw Zakuro's dismembered body, Pudding's wide, fearful eyes, Lettuce's desperate escape to no avail, Berry's chest splayed open, and worst of all, a talon creeping out from within Mint's chest cavity.

Ichigo shuddered as her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch.

"Berry!" She gasped.

"What?" The other girl questioned, hovering over her, but looking at a loss as for what to do.

As the contents of Ichigo's stomach jumped into her mouth, she pushed Berry out of the way quickly, and vomited onto the floor.

Whether it was from years of seeing her mother work with patients, or if it was just something that didn't bother her, Berry didn't jump out of the way, or look in disgust at the mess Ichigo had made. Instead, she continued to stand over her, and ran a hand soothingly down her back as she continued to be sick, speaking to her in a soft voice.

"Don't worry, just let it out. I'll get something to clean it. There you go. Easy. Deep breaths."

Ichigo gasped, her throat burning from her stomach's acid as she allowed herself to fall back into the bed. Berry stayed with her the entire way, stacking the pillows so that Ichigo was in a reclined position before pulling up her blankets and tucking them in around her.

"No," Ichigo groaned, throwing the blankets off and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "I need to wash this off."

Berry nodded and helped her climb out of the bed, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit, and guided her to the bathroom.

The lights instantly flickered on when they entered, casting shadows across the lavatory and basin.

Ichigo turned to the sinks, which were aligned with a number of buttons, each labeled in the waulrinswi's language.

Picking randomly, Ichigo pressed a light green button that sent a quick jet of water straight into her face. Sputtering, and spitting out a mouthful of water into the basin, Ichigo wordlessly accepted the towel Berry passed to her.

"I'm going to go get some cleaning supplies from one of the closets I found earlier." Berry told her, "Are you going to be alright?"

Ichigo nodded, wiping her face clean with the towel.

"I'll be right back."

Ichigo glanced shakily into the mirror. She looked as sick as Mint had in her dream before… Her stomach lurched unpleasantly again. With a groan, she slumped against the counter, pressing the damp cloth to her forehead as she tried to suppress the images from her dream, but it was of no use. They continued to linger in the forefront of her mind, lurking like a creature of the night, waiting for its chance to strike. She was definitely not going to be able to sleep the rest of the night.

She heard the door slide back open as Berry returned, so she dropped the towel back in the sink and left the bathroom to help her clean. However, before she could kneel down to help, Berry waved her off.

"You're as white as a sheet and you're shaking." Berry said, pulling on some gloves she'd found with the cleaning supplies and searching through the materials provided, "Go get something to eat."

"I can help you first." Ichigo insisted.

"Go." Berry ordered, pointing a gloved finger at the door.

Sighing in defeat, Ichigo turned on her heel and left.

She wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but by the time she recognized the area she was in, she'd found herself at the main entrance. The lights were still on, casting the room in a warm glow.

Taking in her surroundings, Ichigo realized she wasn't the only one awake.

Kish sat in the furthest corner of the room in a plush armchair, a book propped open in his lap. He looked exhausted with dark circles under his golden eyes, heavy lids, and the way he sat, slumped in the chair with a mug full of a steaming drink on the table in front of him.

He glanced up as she approached.

"Hey, couldn't sleep?" She asked, taking the armchair next to him.

Kish marked his place and set aside his book before answering.

"No, you?"

"No," Ichigo confirmed, trying to read the title, but again realizing it wasn't in her language.

"Are you alright?" Kish asked, golden eyes scanning her sickly parlor.

"Fine." Ichigo said dismissively.

Kish narrowed his eyes.

"Fine," Ichigo conceded, "I woke up with a nightmare and was sick. Happy?"

"Thrilled." He replied sarcastically.

"Why are you up?"

"Same reason." He told her, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh."

A silence fell between them as Ichigo sat there fiddling with the skirt of her dress. Kish took a drink out of whatever he had in his mug. It smelled fresh, almost with a hint of mint, yet it also had a strong odor she couldn't quite place.

"Would you like something to drink?" Kish asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Oh, um, sure. What do you have?"

Kish shrugged, "Just about whatever you want probably. Do you want tea or hot chocolate?"

"What are you drinking?"

"Garralanta. It's from my home planet, Hope. It's made from the roots of the glarrook plant. You won't like it though. It's an acquired taste."

"Garralanta." Ichigo repeated, "Is that a word you made up?"

"No, it's the name of this drink." Kish scowled.

"Let me try it." Ichigo grinned, reaching towards the mug.

"Try not to spit it everywhere." Kish replied, handing it to her.

Ichigo stared at the clear brown liquid in the mug. It looked enough like tea. Thinking it couldn't be all that bad, she took a small sip.

"And that would be spitting it out every where." Kish commented dryly. The liquid had barely even touched her tongue before she'd immediately spat it out all over Kish and the coffee table. It was one of the foulest drinks she had ever tasted. It tasted like burnt rubber hiding behind the ill disguise of mint.

"That's awful!" Ichigo exclaimed, trying to scrub her tongue out with her fingers.

"Not as awful as that cotton you tried to make me eat." Kish shot back, using his pant leg to wipe off his arms.

"For the last time, it's called cotton candy, and it tastes loads better than this stuff!"

"I'm going to have to disagree." Kish replied, "So, hot chocolate or tea?"

"Hot chocolate." Ichigo stated immediately. There was no way she was taking tea if that's what it tasted like.

Kish floated over to the bar, placed what looked like a large ice cube in a clean mug, followed by chocolate powder. He then poured water inside, and in an instant, was handing Ichigo a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Ichigo thanked him and immediately took a sip to wash her mouth out. The hot chocolate, thankfully, tasted like the instant mix she was used to.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" He asked her.

Ichigo froze, the mug only inches from her lips before she set it back down on the table feeling troubled.

"I don't know what to really say about it." She confessed.

"Did Masaya visit you again?"

Ichigo shot him a glare as he smiled coyly at her.

"It wouldn't have been a nightmare then would it?"

"If your brain was replaying how he died it would." Kish reasoned.

Ichigo rolled her eyes, "True," she admitted, "but that wasn't even close to what happened."

"Well what did?"

Ichigo hesitated a moment. She didn't want to sound crazy or paranoid, but meeting Kish's golden gaze, she knew he wouldn't judge her so she told him. She described everything as vividly as she could remember: the forest, the sounds, the scents, the mysterious creature stalking her, Mint's screams, then all their deaths. Her breath hitched as she tried to describe what happened to Mint, visibly shaking enough that Kish took her hand and squeezed it, waiting patiently for her to finish. However, as she began to describe the creature trying to escape from Mint's chest, his face paled.

She paused, "Kish? What's wrong?"

He shook his head and gestured for her to continue. So, Ichigo continued, telling him how Mint's chest had burst open, spraying blood everywhere, and how something had been moving inside.

"I woke up screaming when this talon came out of her chest." Ichigo sobbed, "And… Kish? Really, what's wrong?"

She gripped his hand tighter, getting more worried by the second. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Kish –?"

He pushed a finger against her lips to silence her, breathed in deeply, then forced a smile.

"I'm sorry Kitty Cat, I was just shocked."

"About what?' Ichigo asked.

Kish took a deep breath.

"I haven't been able to sleep for months, Ichigo." Kish told her looking weary, "Ever since I lost my scout team, I haven't been able to close my eyes with out seeing these flashes. I… I think they're memories but I can't be sure. I remember being terrified; I heard screams and cries, and most disturbingly," He looked her straight in the eye, "I dream the same things you dreamed. One night it's Tart, the next it's Pai, and the next it's someone else I care about." He finished bitterly.

"What does it mean?" Ichigo asked, wide eyed.

Kish shook his head, "I wish I knew."

"Kish, is that what's waiting for us?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that either. I don't remember anything. It's like every time I try to recall what happened, I get small snippets that disappear like wisps of smoke into thin air."

Ichigo shuddered, pulling her hand back and picking at her skirt again in a nervous habit.

"Ichigo." She looked up to see him gazing at her intently, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He promised.

Ichigo opened her mouth to respond, but fell silent when he leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly. She hadn't realized how cold she'd felt until the warmth from the kiss seemed to radiate across her skin.

He fell back in his chair, picking up his book as he went.

"Would you like me to read to you a bit?"

"I don't understand your language." Ichigo replied with a blush. She never really understood, until now, how beneficial it was to be multilingual.

Kish glanced at the cover, "Ah, I can try to translate it as I go."

"What's it about?"

"History."

"History?" Ichigo repeated incredulously, making a face.

"Hey, don't be so quick to knock history." Kish laughed, "Some of our most valuable lessons come from the mistakes of others, plus, some of the most crazy stories come from history, and the best part is, they're all true!"

"So, what part of history are you on?"

"Well, about a century before the end of our first world, a revolutionary war was initiated by clones. Half a century before that, cloning was legalized to obtain body parts to replace those that were damaged or failing. A great idea in theory, but the removal of any organ was almost certain death for the clone."

"That's horrible!" Ichigo gasped.

"I know." Kish agreed, "They were also not treated with the same respect as their waulrinswi counter parts. You see, each clone had a symbol that marked them as being sub-waulrinswi." He flicked through the pages of the book and came across an image of a group of clones. To Ichigo, they looked like a normal group of waulrinswi: large ears and vibrantly colored hair and clothing. She wouldn't have noticed anything if it weren't' for the arrows pointing towards their eyes. She pulled the book onto her lap to get a closer look. The pupils were shaped differently. They were not feline like Kish's, but rounded. Her eyes trailed to the following picture, which was an enlarged image of the eyes. There was an insignia inscribed into the pupil, featuring a large, lizard-like creature with a multitude of heads, a hydra. The hydra was twisted around itself so that it was difficult to tell which neck connected to which head, but put together, they hydra formed a shield shape. All of this, Ichigo noted, was inscribed in a faint triangle.

"That's the symbol of the cloning capital." Kish informed her.

Ichigo made a face in disgust, "They were branded so others knew they were different?"

Kish opened his mouth to reply when the craft suddenly shuddered. The two of them jumped to their feet as the floor shook beneath them.

"What's going on?" Ichigo yelled over the rumble.

Without warning, the craft suddenly flipped. Ichigo found herself suspended comically on the floor (now the ceiling), before she fell, plummeting to the ground. However, her fall was cut short when she landed on something soft.

Ichigo groaned, pushing against something that felt like skin. She gasped, leaping back, a hand flying to her mouth as Kish groaned, rubbing his head from where he'd hit it on the edge of the coffee table.

"Gosh Ichigo." He sniggered, cracking open an eye to look at her. She was still on top of him, accidently straddling him, "I know you were anxious, but don't you think this is a bit soon?"

Ichigo gaped at him, "What?"

"Well, he just passed away didn't he? But I suppose you couldn't resist my charms for too long eh?" Kish smirked, winking at her.

Ichigo's face purpled in rage.

_**SMACK!**_

Kish's face was slammed violently into the floor, the left side of his face sporting a flaming red handprint.

"Whoa! Ichigo! Hold up!" Kish called after her as she stomped towards the stairs, "I was just kidding! I'm sorry!"

Ichigo stopped short, her small hands fisted in rage, "I can hardly breath from laughing." She snarled over her shoulder, before storming up the staircase.

Everyone met in the training room at six sharp the next morning. Besides Kish and Ichigo, everyone else looked well rested after a good night's sleep.

"Ok," Pai began, standing in the middle of the group of Mews, "Today we're going to focus on survival skills. There are six major components to survival. Do any of you know them?"

"ME!" Pudding exclaimed shrilly, jumping into the air and waving her hand back and forth as if worried Pai wouldn't see here.

For a moment Pai looked like he'd love nothing more than to push her through the air lock and let her suffocate in space, but quickly pulled back his stoic mask and nodded for her to answer.

"Shelter, food, water, fire, candy, and money!" Pudding recited happily.

Zakuro slapped her palm to her forehead.

"Not quite." Pai replied, "You are correct with four of them. Shelter, food, water, and fire are essential to a human's survival, however, when stranded in the middle of uncharted territory, I hardly think candy and money will come in handy. No, the other two are attitude and naturalist skills. Ironically enough, those are the two your group would find lacking." His eyes rested on Ichigo accusingly as he said this. AS their leader, it was her fault that they didn't know this. Ichigo merely glared back. She was not going to put up with Kish's crap, and she was most certainly not going to put up with Pai's piss poor attitude, "As such, we will split into groups of three. As you know from your tour, each door leads into a different type of environment. Your teachers: Tart, Kish, and myself, will instruct you in each terrain in how to survive. Teams are as follows: With Kish, Berry and Ichigo. With Tart, Pudding and Zakuro, and with me, Lettuce and Mint. Pay attention, and no goofing off." He sent a warning glare in Tart and Pudding's direction, "Any questions?"

Pudding's hand shot into the air.

"What?" Pai ground out through clenched teeth. Ichigo had to muffle her laugh. She could practically see his veins throbbing in annoyance.

"When's breakfast? My tummy's rumbling."

"When I say so. Dismissed."

Laughing heartily, Pudding followed swiftly after Tart into one of the doors, followed, rather reluctantly, by Zakuro. Pai opened another door, and bowed respectfully to Lettuce and Mint as they entered. When everyone had left, Kish cleared his throat.

"So, I guess we're all in a group." He grinned, approaching Ichigo and Berry.

Ichigo glared daggers at him as he approached. She still hadn't forgiven him for his jab at her disloyalty to Masaya.

Kish's ears drooped.

"Are you still mad about last night?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"I'll take that as a yes…" Kish sighed, while Berry glanced back and forth between them looking hopelessly confused.

"Look, Ichigo, I said I was sorry." Kish tried.

Ichigo cleared her throat; "I believe you're supposed to be teaching us something right now." She said coldly, her gaze never faltering.

"Fine." Kish replied, equally as icy, "Follow me." He started across the training room. Ichigo waited for Berry to take the first step before following.

"What happened?" Berry whispered, falling into step beside her.

"Nothing." Ichigo muttered, still glaring holes through the back of Kish's skull.

"I can tell." Berry snorted sarcastically.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ichigo replied, stopping a fair distance away when Kish halted before a door. He entered a sequence into a keypad by the door, which blinked green, then slid open with a soft hiss.

Kish stepped aside, gesturing for the two girls to enter first.

Ichigo stalked past him into a room that looked like an exact replica of the forest in her dreams. She stopped dead in her tracks, her anger evaporating instantly as her wide eyes soaked in the dense forestry covered by a dense canopy. It was exact down to the detail of the sponginess of the floor, the hum of the insects, and even the call of the fauna that drifted through her ears on a non-existent wind.

"So, as Pai was saying, one of the most major components to survival is attitude. When you find yourself stranded it is imperative that you do. Not. Panic." Kish emphasized as the doors slid closed behind them.

Ichigo immediately crossed her arms, doing her best to look annoyed rather than panicked at his choice of room.

"Your _attitude _in such situations can be remembered by the three I's: I can. I will. I did. It is completely possible to survive off the land around you, and it's important to know what you can do in order to be efficient in such situations. So, you must be wondering why I brought you here," He gestured towards the room at large, about to answer the exact question Ichigo had silently been asking, "Firstly, this room is most like the environment we'll be encountering when we land." Ichigo's heart froze. She had never been to a tropical rainforest. Why had she dreamed she was in one? What's more, how could she have possibly been able to subconsciously dream of a planet she'd never been to or hardly even seen? "Secondly, a forest bares the most adequate tools for survival. Pudding already named off four of the major components in the training room. Look around, and tell me what resources you think…Ichigo, are you alright?"

Ichigo quickly whipped the panic look from her features.

"Fine!" She replied, hoping to sound dismissive.

"Ok… well, look around and let me know what resources you think you can use to your advantage."

Forcing herself not to relive her nightmare as she glanced around, Ichigo surveyed the area. The large, leafy plants offered amble shelter, twigs, wood, and dead objects that littered the forest floor could be used as fuel for a fire. However, looking around, she did not know what kinds of plants were edible, nor did she see any sign of water. Great, she was already fifty percent dead.

"The leaves can be strung together to make a shelter." Berry said slowly, "And in a rain, some of those should collect and hold water…"

"Good." Kish complimented.

"The twigs and dead vegetation should be flammable enough to create a fire." Ichigo added.

Kish nodded, slowly for a moment, then shook his head.

"Yes and no." He explained, bending down to pick up a twig. He held it out to Ichigo, "Try to break it with as little force as possible."

Ichigo took the twig, careful not to brush her skin against his. Already she could tell why her theory wouldn't work. The wood was damp. She bent it slightly, and pliably it followed. The twig, though dead, was saturated with water.

"If the wood is saturated with water the fire will not be able to burn."

Ichigo nodded, but she hadn't really heard him. She was staring at the twig, eerily reminded of what she had told him about her dream. The twigs had been soaked in water, yet easily snapped by the creature that followed her. She suppressed a shudder and forced herself to keep listening.

They listened for over an hour as Kish explained to them the advantages and disadvantages of surviving in a tropical forest environment. The most important was that water was everywhere, collected in the leaves, stored in the trunks of trees, the ground, and how to find a source of water by following the abundance of moss. For food, in which neither of them had been able to offer an example, Kish showed them certain flowers in which they could drink the nectar, chew the petals, and various fruits and vegetables that were safe to eat. He also compared these with the poisonous vegetation, including sweet looking flowers that caused the throat to swell, plants that, when touched, resulted in a nasty rash, and explained the toxicity of some small brown plants they found that looked like mushrooms, except they consistantly opened and closed behaving more like plants from the coral reef.

Once Ichigo and Berry were feeling more confidant in what was safe to consume, he showed them how to position leaves to provide a temporary shelter.

"However," he told them in a warning tone, "Most predators find their prey on the ground. If you're able to, taking shelter in a tree offers several great vantage points. The leaves will shield you and, if you're lucky, a lot of predators cannot reach you. Even if they tried, you'd have plenty of warning before they can actually get to you."

"So, you're telling us to sleep in a tree?" Ichigo asked for clarification.

"Yep."

"What happens if we move in our sleep and fall out of it?"

"You won't have to worry about being eaten alive." Berry teased, cracking a smile; "You'll be dead when you hit the ground."

Ichigo and Kish laughed, until Kish pointed back at the trees.

"See those vines? If you don't have a rope you can use vines to tie yourself to a sturdy branch."

"And if there's no vines?"

"You either A, don't sleep, or B, don't sleep in a tree." He replied. He then continued on with explain how to collect firewood, and even demonstrated how to start a fire. After instructing and overseeing both of them make a fire, Pai popped his head in and informed everyone that it was time for breakfast.

Ichigo's stomach growled at the mere mention of the word. Upon asking Kish for the time, she was surprised to find that they'd been at training for over three hours. How had she not noticed?

Unlike the night before, breakfast was a rather small spread. Presented on the table was a large basket of muffins, a jug of water, cups, and another steaming beverage that had a slight hint of mint to its scent. Ichigo's nose wrinkled as she recognized it as garralanta. Next to the muffins were fruits, thankfully, ones she recognized, and a bowl full of a sickly looking green, Jell-O substance. She eyed it curiously as she took her seat at the table.

"Eat quick." Pai instructed, "After this will be hunting and scavenging instruction."

"How many things do we have to learn?" Ichigo muttered under her breath to Berry.

"Probably a lot." Berry replied, "If you think about it, all of what we're learning now was second nature to our ancestors."

"But why do they think we need to know the basics? Assuming Kish wasn't lying when he was telling us about the waulrinswi's history, then they should have a far superior, advanced nation."

"Not necessarily." Kish interrupted, squeezing into the spot in between them, "True, on our home planet, we were much more advanced, but with the planet's apocalypse, we lost its valuable resources and all the advancements that couldn't fit onto the ships. Therefore, finding a new planet was like starting from scratch. In other words," he spoke over Ichigo's attempt to interrupt, "you're learning basic survival skills because there is no civilization to go to."

"No civilization?" Ichigo repeated dumbstruck, "Then how are the waulrinswi living?"

"Like what your race would call nomads." Kish explained, "Everyone is currently on the move since the last ship, aside from this one, was destroyed. The problem is, whatever's out there has also been following."  
>Ichigo gulped, the shadow of green flashing through her mind's eye.<p>

"Do you really think our abilities will make much of a difference?" Berry asked in a soft voice.

"Of course we do." Kish smiled reassuringly, "We wouldn't have returned to earth and bothered training you if we didn't."

True to Pai's word, they spent the remaining hours until lunch learning hunting and scavenging. This time they had switched teachers, so now Berry and Ichigo were under Pai's instruction. Though short and cynical, Pai worked on teaching them how to tie snares, set traps, as well as how to use an old hunting trade: the bow and arrow. However, when he instructed them to shoot and kill simulated rodents, both of the girls flew into hysterics. Pai, not understanding what had them so worked up, took the bow from Berry and shot a fake rabbit straight through the eyes. Ichigo and Berry screamed in horror, even as it disappeared.

"Your turn." He said flatly, handing the bow back to Berry.

Berry took it, her hands trembling, looking close to tears.

"You eat meat don't you?" He asked when the arrow Berry had tried to grasp slipped through her fingers.

"Ye-Yes, but I've n-never h-had to k-kill it." Berry whimpered, bending down to retrieve the offending object.

At Pai's look of confusion, Ichigo haltingly explained to him how animals were raised and taken to slaughter houses, then went through the meat packing industry. Hunting, now a days, was for sport.

Pai swore under his breath, muttering words that sounded like "despicable" and "no honor".

After over an hour of trying to get the girls to actually hold the arrow up and hit the target, Pai gave up and started teaching them to scavenge for food, that way they could take comfort in the fact that they killed a plant rather than an animal. However, he quickly gave up on this endeavor when the two of them were to frightened to even taste the food for fear he was mistaken and giving them something poisonous. He hated having to constantly explain how he knew what was edible.

It wasn't until late in the evening that all of them were called together to begin their weapons training.

"Aside from your basic survival skills, this is going to be your most important means of survival. Whatever is out there will kill without blinking an eye. You need to be prepared to be just as lethal.

"However, we will not begin with weapons just yet. A weapon is useless if you do not have the power of your body behind it… yes?"

Mint lowered her hand, "Yeah, I was just wondering, what happens if the ship flips and we have all these dangerous weapons out?"

Pai opened his mouth to respond, then closed it looking stumped.

Ichigo glanced at all the waulrinswi in time to see them exchange a guilty shrug.

"Never thought of that before." Kish chuckled sheepishly.

"So what happens?" Lettuce blanched.

"Hope you're good at dodging!" Tart exclaimed, pouncing on Pudding and sending the pair of them tumbling to the ground in a fit of hysterics.

"Enough!" Pai roared, causing them all to jump. He addressed Mint, "Normally this ship does not have the gravity on, not to mention the majority of our species has the ability of flight. In light of the present circumstances, everyone's just going to have to be extra careful when handling the weapons."

"The ship will generally shudder before it flips too." Kish supplied, "If Pai, Tart, or I feel that, we can intervene immediately."

Ichigo surveyed her teammates. All of them looked far from being reassured.

"If you normally don't have the gravity, why is it on for us?' Zakuro asked.

"As I said last night, to make you feel more at home."

"But why would you normally not have it on?"

"Because it uses up a lot of energy!" Tart exclaimed before Pai could respond, "Geez, I thought you were the smart one."

Mint, Pudding, and Ichigo shouted him down at once.

"Shut up Taruto!"

"She is the smartest!"

"Don't talk about Zakuro that way or it will be the last thing you ever do!"

"Enough!" Pai repeated, rubbing his temples in an aggravated manner.

Everyone instantly fell silent, but Mint was still glaring heatedly at Tart.

"I'll sort out the problems with the gravity and the weapons another time. For today, we'll be focusing on hand-to-hand combat. It's just as important to be able to fight with out a weapon. Split into your groups and get started."

They split up, Berry and Ichigo following Kish, who led them a little ways through the room to another door. This time, when he opened it, Ichigo was greeted with the welcoming arms of a pleasant meadow, seeming to stretch beyond the dimensions of the room into rolling hills. The artificial sky was somehow able to capture the warmth of a brilliant summer day, and the tall swaying grass brushed against her hands as she ran her fingers through it.

"Ok, let's begin."

Kish patiently lead them through the basic martial arts stances, taught them how to block, dodge, and attack. Ichigo wasn't sure if it was her cat like reflexes or experience in battle, but she moved through the exercises Kish planned for them with ease. It was easy for her to predict his strikes and lunges, to avoid, then counter attack with a strike of her own.

Berry, however, seemed to struggle a lot more. Her reflexes were extremely undeveloped, bordering on being too late. She couldn't maneuver easily between offense and defense, and a lot of the time; she didn't even realize when she had been given the upper hand. After trying, unsuccessfully, to get her to be more aggressive and put power into her strikes, Kish settled on giving her punches and kicks to work on, and sent her to practice on her own with a small shrub as a punching bag. He watched her for a few minutes, checking her form, and tweaking her approach until she began to show improvement. When it looked like she was getting the hang of it, he told her to keep practicing and returned to continue the lesson with Ichigo.

"Ok, are you up for some sparring?" Kish asked her.

Ichigo nodded eagerly.

"Alright, the rules are, no weapons, physical strength only."

Ichigo frowned.

"That already puts me at a disadvantage then." She remarked, "You're way stronger than me."

"Good." Kish nodded with a smile, "Find out how to use my strength against me."

Ichigo opened her mouth to exclaim, "That's not fair!" But quickly had to block a punch Kish had aimed for her abdomen. The force knocked her backwards, sending her toppling to the ground. She instantly rolled out of the way as Kish landed heavily on his heels where she had been only moments before. Ichigo quickly regained her footing, leaped, twisted in the air, and caught Kish with a sharp kick to his shoulder blade. Absorbing the blow, Kish wrapped his hands around her ankle and used her own momentum against her, sending her flying into the grass. Ichigo groaned upon impact.

"Think. Come up with a plan." Kish instructed, waiting patiently for her to get back up.

Ichigo stood back up, clenching her fists.

Kish moved first, teleporting directly behind her and kicking her harshly in the small of her back.

Ichigo cried out, falling forward, but then turned her fall into a handspring. She landed stealthily, then pushed off from the ground, fists raised. She closed the distance between them with ease, bringing her fists down on Kish's nose, only to be blocked instead with a quick defense from his forearms. Kish instantly turned the tables, punching her squarely in the shoulder. Ichigo gritted her teeth, allowing the punch to spin her around were she was then able to return the favor with a straight on kick into his rib cage.

The two of them leapt apart, Ichigo breathing heavily; Kish only looking slightly winded.

Ichigo shifted her weight on the balls of her feet. Now she had a plan.

She dashed back in. Kish instantly brought up his arms to defend. As she suspected, he blocked her first three strikes, and by the fourth, retaliated with one of his own. Ichigo feigned to the left, were Kish instantly struck. Ducking beneath his fist and closing the distance between them, Ichigo threw all her force into an upper cut to Kish's jaw. The force of the blow sent Kish staggering backwards until he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground.

Ichigo smiled triumphantly.

"How's that for forming a plan?" She jeered.

Kish didn't respond. In fact, he hadn't moved.

Ichigo crossed her arms still smirking.

"Well?"

Nothing.

Now she was getting worried. Her smile faded from her face. He couldn't be that sore of a loser could he?

"Kish, what's the matter?" She asked, walking over to him, "Cat got your tongue?" She tried to joke, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Kish's hand shot up with inhuman speed, fastening around her neck. Without a chance to even exclaim in surprise, she was flipped roughly onto her back, Kish straddling her as his grip on her throat tightened.

Ichigo coughed at the impact, her hands gripping at Kish's, trying to loosen his vice-like grip.

"Kish… what the hell?" She coughed, her nails digging into his flesh as his grip got impossibly tighter. She cracked her eyes open, only to be frozen in fear at what she saw.

The bright humor had left Kish's eyes. Instead, they were cold and humorless, his slit like pupils barely recognizable. His teeth were bared like a feral dog's, and a low rumbling growl emitted from his throat.

"Kish?" Ichigo squeaked.

He only raised his hand in response, fingers poised in a lethal manner.

Ichigo's eyes widened. As his hand came down, aiming for her face, Ichigo barely managed to bring up her legs and knee Kish in the groin. Instead of connecting with her face, Kish's hand sunk into the ground, dislodging its contents.

Ichigo's heart shuddered in her chest as she stared in terror at the fist just inches away from her hand. He had been aiming to kill her!

Ichigo brought up her fist and punched him across the face, followed by freeing her legs and kicking him off of her. She rolled over coughing, filling her lungs with oxygen. Catching movement out of the corner of her eyes, she quickly pulled her feet under her and jumped out of the way as Kish landed where she had been seconds before, breaking the ground and uprooting the vegetation.

"Kish, what are you doing?" Ichigo shrieked, falling into a defensive stance.

Kish merely straightened jerkily, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

Ichigo's heart thundered in her ears. She had to get Berry and herself out of there.

Ichigo shot off to her right, making a beeline for Berry.

Kish snarled and followed in quick pursuit.

Ichigo glanced back, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Reaching Berry, she grabbed the girl by her upper arm, ignoring her questions and protests at the sudden action.

"Shut up and run!" Ichigo yelled to her.

Berry spared a glance behind them to find Kish in hot pursuit looking deranged. Her eyes dilated in fear and she no longer tried to slow down.

"What happened?" She screamed.

"I don't know! He's gone crazy!" Ichigo exclaimed, sprinting for the door. If they got out of the door in time, they could lock him in.

Upon reaching the door, Ichigo slammed her hand against the button to open it. It hissed as it slid open. Ichigo all but threw Berry out of if, following close behind. She jabbed at the button on the other end to close the door immediately, and watched with baited breath as Kish got ever closer. He was barreling towards them like a deranged bull. Just as Ichigo prepared to run again, the door closed instantly and Kish hit it with a sickening thud.

Both girls stared at the door wide-eyed and gasping for air. They made it. They actually made it.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief, only to tense in panic as a loud bang from the door shook the entire floor.

"What's going on?" Berry cried, staring in horror at the door.

Ichigo shook her head in bewilderment.

"I have no idea." She whispered mortified.

Both of them shrieked when a hole was suddenly blasted through the metal door, followed by a clawing hand that groped for its victims. A feral growl emitted from the other end before the rest of the metal door was blasted from its hinges.

Ichigo and Berry dropped to their stomachs as the door flew over their heads and crashed into the opposite wall with a resounding bang.

As the debris settled, Kish appeared smiling with insanity. His eyes zeroed in on Ichigo.

Terrified, Ichigo leaped to her feet, fingers reaching into her dress pocket to retrieve her pendant.

She dodged again when Kish leaped at her, his impact leaving a dent in the floor. Flipping over his head, she kissed her pendant, instantly transforming into Mew Ichigio.

Feeling braver in this form, she pushed off the wall, and slammed full force into Kish, sending him crashing into the opposite wall.

"Berry run!" Ichigo yelled, positioning herself between the deranged alien and her friend.

"What? And leave you alone?" Berry shrieked.

"Yes! Get help!"

Kish leaped for her again.

Ichigo brought up her forearms in defense, but the blow still sent her careening into another door, which bent upon impact. Ichigo cried out in pain, feeling a wet, sticky substance sliding through her hair.

"Ichigo!" Berry yelled.

"What's going on here?" Pai exclaimed, emerging from a door down the hall.

"HELP!" Berry and Ichigo both shouted, before Kish rammed into Ichigo again, resuming his chokehold.

Ichigo coughed, reflexively head-butting him since he was within close proximity. He staggered back letting go. Ichigo followed, preparing to punch him when he grabbed her by the fist and threw her against one of the weapons racks. The barrier repelled her from it, sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Kish stop! What are you doing?" Pai exclaimed, instantly running forward to subdue him. He teleported behind him grabbed his wrists and held them tightly behind his back as Berry ran to Ichigo's aid.

"You're supposed to be teaching them, not trying to kill them!" Pai screamed.

Kish snarled in response, throwing his head back and hitting Pai in the nose. Taking advantage of the distraction, Kish ripped himself out of Pai's hold and backhanded him, as if swatting away an annoying insect, sending his friend crashing into the rock wall.

"What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

Ichigo heard her team mates yell as they appeared from their perspective rooms.

Kish swiveled around at the sudden noise, growling deeply.

Ichigo scrambled to her feet, shrugging off Berry's offered hand. She had to lead him away before any one else got hurt!

Kish's eyes instantly flickered to her as she moved, his growl deepening.

_"That's right."_ She thought savagely, _"Come after me."_ And with that, she took of at a wild sprint. As she expected, Kish tore after her before any of the others could stop him.

Ichigo skidded around the bend, punching a random door as she did, and threw herself into the room it provided. It must've been another training room, for large metal walls seemed to section off the area like a maze. A cold, metallic maze.

With out spending much time to drink in her surroundings, Ichigo tore into its interior, taking turns at random and keeping low to the ground.

After it began to feel like she couldn't go any farther, Ichigo slumped against a wall breathing heavily. Her cat ears swiveled back and forth, listening, waiting. Then she heard him, hissing and snarling like a cat as he bashed against the maze structure, sending parts tumbling or ripping them apart with his bare hands until the room echoed with the sounds of screeching metal.

Ichigo's heart thumped against her chest as she pressed her back against the cold, hard, wall. A cold sweat stuck to her like a second skin. Her black tail curled in apprehension between her legs. She'd never seen Kish like this before. She'd never seen him so insane, so violent, so… intent to kill. Especially when that aggression was directed at her! What had she done?

He was getting closer. She could hear him, as well as the shouts of her friends who had finally caught up.

Ichigo gulped as several walls behind her trembled and fell. She flexed her fingers, summoning her Strawberry Bell to her aid. It instantly appeared, settling in her hand with an unfamiliar weight. Shocked, Ichigo's attention slipped from her current predicament and landed on a crystal white katana. Even though she knew next to nothing about swords, she could tell this one had been made with superior craftsmanship. The blade was slick and cleanly polished, shimmering despite the overcasting shadows of the room. The handle of the sword fitted her hand perfectly. Near the base of the blade were delicately carved strawberries cut into its pristine surface, and, dangling from the end of the handle, like a small phone charm, was her Strawberry Bell.

Where had the katana come from?

Before she had more time to ponder the sudden appearance of such a magnificent blade, a hand wrapped around her trachea and slammed her against the wall she had so recently taken refuge against.

Ichigo coughed, instantly loosing her grip on the sword, which clattered to the ground.

Kish stood before her seething.

Ichigo brought her fist up to sock him, but he deftly swatted it out of the way, snarling at her. He brought up his own fist meaning to impale her.

Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the end when suddenly, Kish froze.

Ichigo cracked her eyes open to see him blinking. The hand holding her by the throat disappeared, going for his own where a small dart stuck out of his neck. He blinked again, his eyes returning to normal, though he looked highly confused.

Kish glanced at Ichigo, who was rubbing her throat where the bruise of a handprint was beginning to make itself known. She was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes.

Kish's own eyes widened in horror before the sedative took effects and he fell against her into a troubled slumber.

Ichigo caught him sliding to the floor. What was happening to him?

* * *

><p>AN: I'm not going to even apologize for the lack of updates with chapters any more. I already warned on my profile that they would take a while to be posted. If you're wondering why though, I just started college, and I'm on the premed route. Between homework and classes, I don't have a lot of time. I was happy I was able to get this chapter out.

Any way, I'm going to shoot for a new goal, and that is to have a chapter out once a month. Don't get your hopes to high, but hopefully that'll make updates more frequent ^^"

Also, thanks to Hisoka1021 on DA for editing this chapter and I hope phanphan1 likes this new one.


	8. Betrayal

Chapter 7

Betrayal

"He appears to be stable now." Pai commented, closing the lid of the hospital "bed". Ichigo wasn't really sure what to call it. The "bed" was long and lengthy, but a huge black contraption that looked like a coffin. The inside was padded with some sort of memory foam that cocooned and protected the occupant on all sides, like packaging wrap shipping something fragile. The top of the lid was perforated to allow easy access to oxygen, and even had a system that kept the entire inner area sterile. Off to the side where Pai currently sat, was a small, touch screen computer type object. Currently on the screen was a diagram of a male waulrinswi. Like male humans, waulrinswi had a similar build as well as the customary genitalia. Off to the side of this image were monitors for breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

They were all gathered in the medical ward of the ship, another area that had been left out of their tour. It looked like a miniature hospital set up with rows of the coffin-like beds. As well as closets, and dressers that contained medical equipment. Every object in the room contained a magnetic lock so that it was easy to access but would remain shut in case the ship flipped, and of course, the ceiling was an exact mirror of the current floor.

"Tell me what happened again?" Pai asked.

Ichigo sighed, rubbing her hand tenderly over her bruised throat.

"I'm not exactly sure." She repeated for the hundredth time in the past few minutes, "We were sparring, I managed a hit, and he suddenly went crazy. It was the first time…" She swallowed, finishing the sentence in her head, _"The first time he tried to kill me."_

"First time what?" Tart prompted, his eyes glued to Kish's monitor.

"First time I'd ever seen him like that." Ichigo finished quietly.

"I guess we'll only know when he wakes up and can consciously tell us." Pai concluded.

Ichigo nodded along with the rest of the group, but she had a feeling Kish didn't even know. The scene kept replaying in her head where he suddenly seemed to snap back to reality, to the look of horror on his face when he saw that he had hurt her. No, she highly doubted Kish could supply any answers.

"Well, let's call it a day. I'll go make dinner then it's straight to bed. Until then, I suppose you can do whatever you think of to keep yourselves entertained."

"So I can go into your room?" Pudding snickered.

Pai pursed his lips.

"You can do anything that does not involve going into my room, the control room, or blowing up the ship!" He rephrased.

"Kill joy." Tart muttered, quiet enough so that only Pudding could hear.

Dinner was a quiet affair, this time containing more of the waulrinswi's food, most of which turned out to be surprisingly flavorful despite its questionable appearance, then promptly off to bed. All of them were exhausted from the rigorous training they'd been put through that day, yet, despite the aching in her muscles and her body's desperate plea for sleep, Ichigo couldn't allow herself to drift off dreamlessly. Her mind was too focused on a certain pair of golden eyes. Why had Kish looked so horrorstruck instead of surprised when he had come to? What had been going through his mind?

She kept telling herself that there was no way she could get an answer at the moment and it would be best for her to sleep and think about everything after a good night's rest but she couldn't. She couldn't quell the conveyer belt of questions. After shifting around restlessly for another hour, Ichigo still couldn't will sleep to come. Giving up with a discontented sigh, she pulled the zipper back from her bed and climbed carefully out of the small den. Judging by Berry's steady breathing, she was still fast asleep.

Ichigo crept silently out of the room, inwardly cursing when the motion sensor lights picked up on her movement and flashed on. She paused at the door, but the beds must've done a good job shielding its occupants from light, for Berry didn't stir. Still keeping as silent as a mouse, Ichigo pressed the button for the door and slid out into the hallway.

She stood for a moment as the doors slid closed behind her wondering what she should do. Kish's horrorstruck face flashed across her mind's eye again. She shook her head. It seemed wrong to go and interrogate him. Besides, he'd had a rough day. Ichigo reached up to her neck, touching the bruised area gently. Then again, she'd also had a bad day and as the recipient of most of his attacks, she felt it was high time she deserved an answer.

Making up her mind, Ichigo set off in the direction of the front area. Once she got there she'd be able to find her way to the hospital wing.

Ichigo walked in silence through the winding hallways until she arrived in the area she and Kish had been sitting in the night before. She paused. The book he had been reading was closed resting on the table, along with their two empty mugs. Both of those must've spilled all over the place when the ship flipped yesterday. Her eyes drifted to the bar. Kish was kind enough to make her a drink last night and take the time to comfort her. Perhaps, she should do the same.

Ichigo nodded to herself and walked purposefully behind the bar counter. She found the mugs stored in the back wall in padded foam to keep them from jostling and breaking. She also found an assortment of drink powders in a drawer. The problem was, she couldn't read any of the labels and none of the contents had any pictures or other form of identification for what it was.

Sighing irritably, Ichigo placed the mug on the counter and began rummaging through the contents. She opened one container, inhaling a whiff of a floral-perfume type scent before she closed it and set it aside, reaching for another. This one had a strong citrus scent, but she was looking for the garralanta. She wasn't sure if it was Kish's favorite, but it had been what he was drinking last night.

She continued her search until she found a brown powder that smelled like mint. Pleased with herself, Ichigo scooped a generous amount of the powder into the mug, found what looked like the large ice-cubes Kish had used, and added that to the mug as well. Now she just needed to figure out what he'd used for the hot water.

Ichigo searched through the bar's equivalent of a miniature refrigerator, the cupboards, and even under the sink, but she couldn't find it. Shaking her head in disbelief, she turned on the faucet, which, luckily, was a simple earth style model, and waited for the water to run hot before filling the mug. She found a spoon to stir the drink with, tidied up after herself, then headed to the hospital wing.

She was surprised to find that Kish was up. He sat in the bed, his legs drawn up to his chest with his head in his hands. He hadn't noticed her entrance until she pulled up a chair next to him.

"Hey." She said softly, putting the drink in a cup holder conveniently provided by the bed.

Kish glanced up at her wearily.

"How are you feeling?"

"Lousy." He muttered.

"Well, I did punch you in the face a few times." Ichigo said, chuckling slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

Kish didn't laugh with her.

"Is everyone else ok?" He asked.

"Everyone's fine." She reassured him, "Here, I made this for you." She gestured to the steaming mug.

Kish ignored it.

"Kish," Ichigo sighed softly, reaching out to grip his arm, but he jerked out of her reach, shrinking into himself.

Ichigo pulled her hand back, watching him with a pained expression. There had to be something she could do to help. She hated seeing him like this.

They sat there in silence for a while before Kish finally spoke, his voice barely over a whisper.

"I didn't tell you all of my dreams."

She looked back up, but Kish wasn't looking at her. His arms were still wrapped tightly around his legs, his chin resting on his knees. His golden eyes stared dully at the opposite wall.

Ichigo remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Every night I have the same dream." He began quietly, "It's a lot like the one you had. I'm walking in an unfamiliar landscape, full of greenery and life when suddenly everything becomes quiet. I'm on edge. I feel like something has happened. Something bad.

"Then a scream rips through the silence. I instantly run in that direction, panic over riding all my senses to find the land bathed in blood. Every night it's someone different, but it's always someone I care about. Pai, Tart, you…" He trailed off, "You're all bathed in blood, and so am I. I'm bathed in your blood. I'm covered in it."

Ichigo nodded. He'd told her this.

Kish shook his head. He must've seen her out of the corner of his eyes.

"That's not everything. In your dream, you'd mentioned that you felt that there was something following you, some kind of monster." He drew in a shuddering breath, "I'm that monster. In my dreams, I always wake up after everyone's been ripped apart and I realize that it's their blood on my hands! I was the one that killed them!"

"Kish you are not—," Ichigo began, but he interrupted her, whipping around so that she could see the unshed tears in the corners of his eyes.

"But I am Ichigo!" He cried, "I am that monster!"

"No Kish, you're not." Ichigo said firmly, standing up and gripping his shoulders.

Kish shook his head disbelievingly, tears actually escaping from the corners of his eyes.

"I hurt you." He whispered.

Ichigo blinked, staring blankly at him before he reached out to brush the ever-coloring bruise on her neck, but before he could so much as graze her skin, she unconsciously flinched back, the memory of him choking her still fresh in her memory. Ichigo instantly regretted her action as she watched Kish's face fall.

"It's… It's nothing." Ichigo tried to reassure him, "You weren't yourself."

"Then who was I?" Kish cried, suddenly reaching out and gripping her arm like a frightened child seeking answers. His eyes were shining in desperation, "I don't know what to do anymore." He whimpered, "I'm worried my dreams will become reality! That I will turn into this monster and kill everyone I care about! What is happening to me?"

He searched Ichigo's face, frantically hoping, begging, for her to hold the answers. He looked so lost, so alone, like he was grasping at straws for something that would keep him from falling under.

Ichigo felt her insides crumble as she gazed back at the broken boy. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Kish, I don't know." She whispered.

She might as well have cut his crumbling lifeline with those words. Tears ran thick and fast down the sides of his face. His entire frame racked with sobs as he fell apart before her.

Ichigo slid onto the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around his trembling form and drawing him into her.

He buried his head into her breasts, something she would've sent him flying across the room for had it been any other time. Ichigo held him tightly as he cried away his fears, running her fingers gingerly through his hair.

"We'll figure this out Kish." Ichigo promised him, cradling him tightly, "You're not alone. I'm here for you."

Ichigo held Kish for over an hour as he cried. Eventually his sobs began to cease to quiet sniffles. Ichigo rubbed his back soothingly as he pulled back slightly.

"Sorry." He muttered, a tinge of pink hinting his cheeks.

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo replied.

Kish didn't respond. He seemed incredibly embarrassed that he had cried in front of her, but Ichigo didn't mind. It reminded her that Kish was just as human as she was.

"I really wish I knew what was going on." Kish whimpered.

Ichigo patted his shoulder, "We'll find out." She promised.

Kish nodded, sliding down onto his side and laying down, his head resting on Ichigo's lap. He looked up at her pleadingly, but with heavy eyes.

"Do you mind?" He asked, "I think I might be able to sleep if you're here."

Ichigo shook here head smiling serenely.

"Sleep, you've deserved it. I'll be right here when you wake up." She promised, leaning down and kissing him lightly on the forehead.

Kish smiled sleepily, his muscles visibly relaxing as he closed his eyes.

Ichigo settled back in the bed, her back resting against the lid as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was amazingly soft. She'd have to ask him what he used when he woke up. As it was, Kish had fallen asleep seconds after his eyes had closed, breathing evenly, his breath tickling her thighs.

Ichigo leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling. She would help Kish figure out what was going on no matter what. Kish had helped her when no one else seemed to be able to reach her. This time, she would do the same for him.

She drifted off as well, the mug of garralanta remained untouched in the cup holder beside them.

A fortnight passed. The girls spent every waking hour training or studying every aspect of the planet the waulrinswi knew. As training wore on, it began to focus more on each of the girl's individual talents. Pudding was the best at survival skills. From all her time having to fend for herself and her siblings, she was quickly able to adapt to any environment she was dropped in. She knew how to read the land to find water, distinguish edible foods from the poisonous, quickly assemble and disassemble shelters as well as efficiently being able to whip up a fire with just about any materials she was given. Pudding had also developed her offensive skills. While she was never actually capable of dealing a detrimental blow, she was quick and light on her feet, making her the perfect distraction. She and Tart had begun to use this to their advantage to play pranks on Pai to pass the time. Ichigo had awoken on more than one occasion to Pai screaming and cursing at them so loud it had reverberated off the walls of the ship.

Mint had worked on sharpening her skills with the bow and arrow. Out of all of them, she was the only one able to move on from stationary targets. She quickly progressed to mobile targets, being able to take down over ten in under a minute. Pai, pleased with her progress, had begun training her to shoot relying on one sense at a time. One day he would have her blindfolded, training her to rely on hearing alone in order to pinpoint a target, the next she would have in earplugs, relying on her eyes only. While it had been hard for Mint to adjust at first, she'd quickly been able to take it in her stride and could even be found at times practicing on her own.

For Zakuro, it had taken a little while to draw out her latent talent. As it turned out, the eldest Mew was extremely accomplished at martial art. Unlike most of them, she could switch easily between offense and defense, and had enough force behind her punches and kicks to total whatever came her way. Her skills with her whip had also developed. It became an extension of her body. She'd learned to use the weapon to hinder an opponent while taking out another, use it to change a landscape, disrupt another's movements, and as a shield, giving her a three hundred sixty degree circumference of protection to recuperate.

Berry, who'd never dreamed she'd have the opportunity to practice medicine until nursing school, quickly took to memorizing natural herbs and their medical uses. A few of the plants the waulrinswi had discovered on the new planet could be mashed up into a natural salve that could used to treat minor burns and cuts. Another plant, that apparently grew well over their heads and was as thick and tough as a yucca bush, when wetted down, could be used like casting material to set broken limbs when it dried. As they drew nearer to their destination, Berry began packing a small bag full of medical supplies from the ship claiming that they wouldn't know what they needed when they landed. Ichigo didn't argue. She was just glad one of them wasn't terrified of the sight of blood or mangled limbs. Since her dreams, which had begun to increase in intensity, she couldn't even stomach the thought of it.

Lettuce had also been another mystery. She wasn't strong in physical combat, and despite being highly book smart, she didn't show any promise in being able to memorize safe foods or practice medicine like Berry. Her skills did become apparent after a week of training. She had been in her Mew form with her water clickity-clacks during combat training. A cooler of water sat in the corner for refreshment purposes. Lettuce had been trying to hold off a barrage of attacks from Tart when the cooler had exploded and the water inside had rushed to her aid sending the smaller alien hurling into the opposite wall. The water had then returned to surround her like a protective shadow as she stood up shakily. The water shrunk and expanded with every breath she took, seeming to follow every silent command she gave. Similar to how Tart could control and manipulate plants, Pai paired the two of them up again, hoping that some of the concepts for controlling their elements would be similar. It turned out they weren't. While Tart's power was more telekinetic, allowing him to exert his will over the inanimate objects from a center of control, his mind, Lettuce's did not. Water was a free flowing element that could only be controlled by a variety of forces. Certain stances and movements in one direction would control the water to do one thing while there was an entirely different set of stances and movements to perform another. Lettuce's emotions also played a key role in how forceful the water behaved. However, because of her meek and quiet personality, it took another week for her to actually be able to assert her control over the element. Therefore, Lettuce spent long hours after the others had left learning how to work with her newfound power through trial and error since she didn't have a teacher. Other than that, she could be found in the library, studying the waulrinswi's books because she was trying to learn their language before they landed.

Ichigo's combat style had also changed. While, like Zakuro, she was good at going between offence and defense, she had found that she was good at reading an opponent, formulating a plan, and taking down an opponent based on their weaknesses. Her fight style had to be adjusted, however, because of her change in weapon. During a combat training session, the same one Lettuce had discovered her new power, Pai asked her to transform and bring out her weapon. Ichigo had transformed into her Mew persona and attempted to summon the Strawberry Bell, only to discover she had the same beautiful katana that had appeared when Kish had attacked her. Everyone was at a loss to explain why her weapon had suddenly changed, but it had hindered her training in the beginning. Ichigo had been used to fighting with a smaller weapon that she could keep close to herself when flipping, diving, or avoiding. The katana didn't allow her to do this. It was long, just about half her height, and dangerously sharp, though it was hard for her to accept that something so beautiful could be so deadly. She had to learn how to slash and parry with it like it was an extension of her body. The adjustment had been difficult and strenuous, especially since Pai was the one training her, not to mention he didn't seem to have an ounce of the patience he showed Lettuce when working with her. She wished she could've worked with Kish. Kish, though annoying and overbearing at times was an extremely good teacher, helping her work through things slowly and approaching from different angles when the situation called for it. However, Kish had been dismissed from training since his incident. Kish had not been pleased with this decision, but he didn't argue. Though he wouldn't say, Ichigo knew he was afraid of losing control and hurting someone else.

Ichigo and Kish had been working on the mystery of his change long after everyone else had gone to bed. Since neither of them could sleep very well without their dreams being plagued by nightmares, they focused on trying to solve the riddle behind them. They had begun by drawing up a diagram to compare their dreams side by side. Like Kish had said, the only main difference between their dreams was the angle and perception of their dream as well as those they tended to find dead. Ichigo had then begun interrogating him about his scouting mission, which proved to be little help since Kish could hardly recall anything except for a few disjointed flashes of memory here and there. They took note of the small details anyway, figuring every little bit could help.

"Ok, so you remember your team taking samples, running, what we would call pH tests, and heading back to base, correct?" Ichigo confirmed, jotting it down on a list of notes as she and Kish sat in the entrance room with a touch screen, hologram device.

"Pretty much." Kish replied.

"But you also recalled the fear I experience in my dreams." Ichigo noted, scanning over their notes.

"It sounded familiar." Kish agreed.

"Hmm, I wonder…" Ichigo muttered to herself as she brought up a blank page. It was scary how homologous the system was to a computer. She picked up a stylist and began to draw to the best of her ability, which, unfortunately, looked like a third grader's attempt.

"What's that supposed to be?" Kish questioned, peering over her shoulder.

"You're eyes." Ichigo answered, distracted as she focused on the drawing.

"What?" Kish exclaimed, sounding affronted, "My eyes are much sexier looking than that! You're drawing skills suck!" He immediately dodged the cup she sent flying his way, catching it before it shattered on the floor.

"Any way," Ichigo growled through ground teeth, "This is how your eyes looked when you… well, when you attacked me."

Kish's joking manner immediately melted. He placed the cup on the table, leaning closer to her to get a better look. Though her drawings were somewhat abstract in appearance, he immediately understood what she was trying to convey. His pupils, though normally thin and feline-like were thin as slits and seemed to radiate hatred. He never thought he could look that way. Especially not towards Ichigo.

Ichigo felt him begin to recoil next to her and grabbed his arm. She needed him to stay focused.

"Have you ever seen your eyes like this?" She asked him.

He shook his head.

"No, I've never…" He suddenly fell silent as a dawning look fell over him, "No, I have…" He muttered, taking the stylist from her, "but it wasn't my eyes." He made to draw, but paused, shuddering.

Ichigo waited expectantly, but after a few minutes had passed, Kish was still staring at the screen.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

Kish shook his head, "I can't draw it. One minute I can picture it and the next it's like trying to cup water. It just slides right though my hands."

"Don't push yourself." She consoled him.

He set down the stylist.

"I'm not, I just want to know what's happening to me." He grunted.

"We'll find out." Ichigo promised, lacing her fingers through his as he had begun to clench his fists. She didn't know why, but the action of just holding her hand, or being near her seemed to console him when nothing else could.

Kish sighed, trying to release his pent up anxieties.

"Have you had any more nightmares?" He asked.

"Same dream every night." Ichigo replied bitterly, "You?"

"Same."

Ichigo bit her lip, "But I get this sense of foreboding the closer we get. It's like a premonition or a warning."

"Yeah, I've had a really bad feeling too." He replied.

Ichigo nodded, not voicing how she was dying to just ask them to turn the ship around so she could go back to her own home. She missed her parents, Yuki, and Momo. Were they mad at her for her sudden disappearance? Maybe even worried sick. Ichigo still wondered how her parents had received her letter. She hoped they were accepting of who she was and would welcome her back with open arms, assuming she lived…

"Kitty Cat, what's wrong?" Kish asked, tilting her chin up so she was looking at him straight in the face.

"N-nothing really! Sorry, just spaced out!" Ichigo exclaimed, trying to laugh off her anxieties.

"Are you worried about something?" Kish asked, not falling for her falsely cheery voice.

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine." She lied.

He looked at her sternly.

"Ichigo, Masaya died a little over four weeks ago. You were then suddenly whisked away by your former enemies to help them fight off an unknown adversary, a fight you're not even sure you'll come back from."

Ichigo took her hand out of his, glaring at him.

"Thanks for summing that up." She huffed, folding her arms, "I'm feeling just peachy now, thanks."

"Ichigo, it's ok to be afraid." Kish told her.

"I'm not afraid. I led us onto this mission. I will see that it is carried out." She replied.

"Do you miss your parents?"

Ichigo froze, her heart skipping a beat. She did miss her parents. Especially her mom, who she felt she was starting to become very close to since Masaya died.

Kish nodded knowingly.

"Just be glad they're still alive." He told her, "My parents died when I was very young."

Ichigo looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

"Don't be." Kish replied, "It was a long time ago."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a little while, Ichigo mulling over what to say in her head. She wanted to know more about Kish, about his childhood, his parents, his friends, his life. She wanted to know everything. She was just about to open her mouth to ask when a deafening scream and an explosion interrupted the silence. The entire ship rocked as if it had been hit, nearly sending Ichigo tumbling into the coffee table if Kish hadn't caught her.

"What was that?" She gasped as more shrieks and shouts came from the upper quarters of the ship.

Kish shook his head in bewilderment.

Ichigo pulled herself out of Kish's arms and hightailed it for the stairs, taking tow at a time, Kish flying behind her. They raced through the winding halls, following the sounds of screaming and shouting.

"YOU INSOLENT BASTARD!" A shrill voice shrieked.

Ichigo and Kish rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes wide.

Water was flying out of the walls, slamming with the force of a tycoon into a beaten and battered looking Pai. Lettuce was shrieking at the top of her lungs, her face purpled in rage, fists clenched around her weapons.

"YOU LIED! YOU FUCKING LIED!" She screamed, thrusting a fist forward, sending a wave of water crashing into the downed waulrinswi.

"Lettuce, what are you doing?" Ichigo exclaimed, jumping into the fray. She grabbed Lettuce's wrists, doing her best to restrain the enraged girl as Kish rushed to Pai's aid.

"NO!" She shrieked, shaking Ichigo off of her and sending another blast of water into Pai's gut. He gasped and collapsed against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kish yelled, bending down to assist his brother.

"What am I doing?" Lettuce repeated looking thunderous as the rest of the Mews and Tart rushed into the hallway. The water around her began bubbling as it reacted to her rising anger; "I think the better question is what you swine really brought us here for!"

Ichigo stared. She had never seen Lettuce this angry; actually, in general, Lettuce was never angry. But observing her now, the usual meek and quiet girl was shaking with barely supressed rage. Ichigo was also startled to find that tears were staining her cheeks.

"What are you going on about?" Tart demanded, flying across the hall to stand protectively in front of Pai and Kish.

Glaring murderously, Lettuce reached up to her right ear and pulled out a small, hearing aid looking device.

Pai's eyes widened.

She tossed it to Kish, who caught it easily.

"Play back the recording." She snarled.

"Lettuce, what is that?" Zakuro asked, breaking the tense silence.

"It's a language translator." Lettuce replied, her eyes never leaving Pai. She might as well have just been speaking with him, "I found it in the library while I was trying to learn your language. It goes into your ear and instantly sends electrical signals to the brain to translate any language your brain doesn't recognize. Bet you regret I found this don't you?"

Pai didn't reply, glaring coldly at Lettuce.

Kish turned the translator over in his hands and pressed a miniscule button on the side before twirling a ring on the outer circumference.

"_How far are you out?"_ A gravely voice spoke through the translator, as loud and clear as if the speaker on the other end was present in the room.

"_Three days at most."_ Pai's tired voice replied.

"_The sacrifices?"_

The recording went silent, as Pai seemed to wait to respond.

"_They don't know a thing."_ He finally replied, an edge to his voice.

"_You're doing the right thing by bringing the Mews. The power in their veins will be our salvation."_

That was when there was an enraged scream, the sound of all hell breaking loose, and the recording ended.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the device in Kish's palm, even Kish and Tart. Pai was glaring at the floor looking ashamed.

"We weren't brought here to help you," Mint began quietly.

"No," Lettuce interrupted, "we were brought here to die for them so they could run away like cowards with their tails tucked between their legs."

"SHUT UP!" Pai yelled, his fists clenched and trembling at his sides, "YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"ENLIGHTEN ME!" Lettuce shrieked in response, firing up at once, "WHAT PART OF WE'RE THE SACRIFICES DO I NOT GET? WHAT THE FUCK AM I NOT UNDERSTANDING?"

Pai opened his mouth to retort when a fist suddenly slammed into the side of his head sending him careening into the wall.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Kish yelled, "THEY'RE OUR FRIENDS! THEY GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO COME HELP US AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY THEM?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Lettuce laughed derisively.

Ichigo flinched. Hearing Lettuce, that cruel edge in her voice was positively terrifying.

"We didn't!" Tart defended.

Kish ignored them, leaping upon Pai, who was trying to pick himself up, and striking at every bit of exposed skin he could reach.

"YOU BETRAYED THEM! YOU BETRAYED ALL OF US!" Kish shrieked, punching Pai square in the face. Blood poured from Pai's nose and ears, his face bruising from all the blows he had taken. He caught Kish's next punch, flipping him over onto his back.

"I'M SAVING US!" He roared.

"How the hell do you make that out?" Lettuce demanded.

Pai whirled around, glaring murderously at Lettuce.

"You don't get it do you?" He spat, "I will do whatever it takes to protect my family, even if it means killing you!"

The hallway fell into a stunned silence. Everyone was staring at Pai as if he'd grown a second head. The eldest waulrinswi had a family?

"I didn't want to do this, Kish, believe me." He pleaded, extending a hand and helping Kish to his feet, "but there was no way I could stand by and do nothing! Not if there was a slim chance I could end this nightmare for Arnes and the kids!"

"How does that—?" Kish began, but Pai cut him off.

"All the ships have been destroyed except this one Kish! And you and I both know this one can't hold everyone! There's no chance of getting off that wretched planet unless we invoke the power of the spirits! And for something this big you know there's only one way to do that! Sensana saw—,"

"I don't care what Sensana saw!" Kish interrupted, "This is where you're getting your news from? She's been wrong before! Who's to say she's not wrong now?"

Pai shook his head despairingly, gazing at Kish as if he was trying to explain a simple problem to a dense child.

"Our people are dying everyday Kish. What if it's Arnes or one of my kids next? I…" He buried his head in his hands, pulling at his hair, "I need to save them!" He looked more helpless than Ichigo had ever dreamed possible. She almost felt bad for him, had it not been for the sinking feeling in her stomach as time seemed to stop. She was never going home. She was never going to see her parents or her friends again. In fact, in three days time she would be dead. None of them knew how to operate the ship. They had no chance of mutiny. She felt tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes. She'd never gotten to even say goodbye, and worst of all she had led her fellow Mews to death's door. How could she have been so stupid? Pai had never liked any of them and even pointed out all the fallacies of their fighting to Ryou. They weren't needed for any sort of rescue mission. How could she have kidded herself to believe that seasoned warriors needed the help of six accidents?

As if she couldn't feel any worse, a quiet voice spoke up from the other side of the hallway.

"Then what about my family?" Pudding asked.

Ichigo felt her gut wrench at the sound of hopelessness and despair in the young girl's voice. Gulping, she looked down the hall, past the groups of waulrinswi and Lettuce, to the group of girls. Berry stood with her arms around Pudding, who was clutching onto her middle, her large brown eyes wet with tears.

"I'm the only one taking care of them! What are they going to do if I die? They don't know how to take care of themselves!" Pudding cried, "Please! Pai! In light of your situation, you of all people should understand!"

Ichigo felt tears escape from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Pai chocked, fighting back his own tears.

"Please let us go back home!" Pudding begged, tears cascading like waterfalls down her cheeks, "They need me!"

"I'm so sorry." Pai repeated, tears now freely flowing down the length of his cheeks, "But we need you more."

Before any of them could react, Pai stretched out his hand, his fan shimmering into existence. With a flick of his wrist, lightening shot of the air, striking each of the girls to the ground.

Ichigo fell back with a cry of surprise as darkness danced at the edges of her vision. What had he done to them?

"I truly am sorry." She heard Pai repeat again before darkness consumed her.

* * *

><p>Yay! My editor stopped watching Supernatural to edit! There were only minor changes, so don't worry about having to reread. Just mostly punctuation and grammar errors. Thanks Hisoka1021!<p>

Also, I've had a lot of people who were guests on here that I can't reply to their comments. So, for those who have commented as guests, here's some answers.

I got asked by one if I had considered becoming an author. I have posted on my profile page that I've been working on a novel. However, author would probably be a side career because I have a greater interest in the medical field.

Another question, I just read from a review today, was why I needed an editor. I know this isn't a novel, and I know I'm not trying to sell it, and that there's probably still errors even after going through an editor. My reason is because I don't want to subject my readers to a poor quality story. I want to make my stories close to, or even on par with actual novels.

Thanks to all who review! I love hearing your feed back!


	9. The Crash

Chapter 8

The Crash

Ichigo had never fully appreciated analogy of being treated like a prisoner. Now, she knew. She knew the full weight of it. Ichigo didn't know how much time had passed. Since they'd found out about Pai's treachery, they'd been locked in their rooms with meals slid through a compartment in the door.

Since waking, Ichigo and Berry had stared at each other in numb disbelief. It took a while for their brains to accept the inevitable. Then the two of them were crying uncontrollably. People weren't kidding when they said their life flashed before their eyes when they narrowly escaped death. However, with no escape, Ichigo's life was reeling like an old silent film. Ichigo saw moments of her childhood, learning how to ride a bike as her parents cheered her on, meeting Momo and Yuki, the hours they spent on the play set in the park, first laying her eyes on Masaya. Oh gods, Masaya. She had never dreamed some one as beautiful and wonderful as him could've possibly fallen for her, but he did. He did, and those had been some of the happiest years of Ichigo's life. She guessed that was the only bright side to dying. She'd get to seem him again, but that thought was instantly replaced by guilt. How selfish could she be? Yes, she loved Masaya but she had a life outside of her dead boyfriend. Her poor family! She had only left a letter of farewell!

Berry's breath hitched next to her, and Ichigo knew she was crying again. She put her arm around the other girl, hugging her tightly. At least, she reflected, she had said more of a goodbye than the rest of them. As far as she knew, none of the other Mews had even made an attempt to say any form of adieus.

A heart-breaking wail sounded through the walls of their room.

Ichigo squeezed Berry tighter, feeling the other girl wrap her arms around her as well. Ichigo was fighting to hold back tears. Pudding was a wreck. Ichigo felt bad enough about leaving her family behind, but at least her parents were self-sufficient and didn't depend on her as Pudding's family did.

Pudding's sobbing grew louder. Ichigo wished nothing more than to be able to rush to her aid and hold her tightly in her arms. She wished that she could send the small girl back to earth with a snap of her fingers. Hell, she wished she could send them all back. Anything to escape this death sentence.

Ichigo's hypersensitive ears twitched at the sound of a soft Bing. She looked up wearily at the door. Berry, who had also heard it, wiped away her tears quickly, but as the door opened, it appeared as if no one was there.

"Come on." Kish's disembodied voice whispered hurriedly.

"Kish?" Ichigo questioned, squinting in the direction of the door.

"SHHH!" Though Ichigo couldn't see him, it was almost like she could tell he was gesturing at her frantically to keep quiet, "Come on! Hurry!"

Ichigo and Berry shared a glance before the two of them got to their feet slowly. Gripping each other's hands tightly, they walked tentatively towards the door. They were nearing the hallway, but there was still no sign of Kish.

Before either of them could react, a hand clamped down on their mouths.

Ichigo's gasp of surprise was muffled by the hand, which tightened, as if agitated.

"Shush!" Kish hissed in her ear, but by the sound of his voice, he was right behind them, "Don't make a sound." He instructed urgently.

Ichigo glanced sideways, trying to see him out of the corner of her eye.

"You can't see me. I'm camouflaged." Kish whispered, removing his hand from their mouths, only to grip their forearms tightly.

"You look invisible." Ichigo muttered dryly.

"So do you!" Berry gasped in a hushed voice.

Ichigo blinked, glancing down. She couldn't see herself at all! Where she knew her feet were was only an uninterrupted stretch of red carpeting. When she looked for the rest of her body, all she could see were the doors and the walls.

She looked up quickly, trying to find Berry or Kish, but she couldn't see either of them, despite knowing they were there because she could feel them.

"What did you do?" She whispered hoarsely.

"I camouflaged you." Kish replied.

"We're not camouflaged, we're invisible." Berry argued.

Kish shook his head, and Ichigo could make out a faint trace of his outline when he moved.

"No, we're not truly invisible." Kish replied, "I can do that when it's only me, but it took me three days to figure out how to mask myself and others."

Ichigo's blood ran cold.

"Three days?" She repeated.

"Yes. I'm sorry it took so long but we've got to go! I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

He began to try and drag them forward, but Ichigo wouldn't budge.

"Ichigo!" He groaned.

"We've got to get the others!" Ichigo whispered. Three days! That meant they could be landing any minute!

"I can't Ichigo!" Kish whispered pleadingly, "I can only camouflage the two of you!"

"Then don't camouflage us!" Ichigo hissed back, ripping her arm out of Kish's grasp, instantly becoming visible, "I'm not abandoning any one here!"

Kish and Berry flickered for a moment before the two of them solidified. Kish let go of Berry, glaring at Ichigo with barely suppressed anxiety.

"I'm trying to save you, you idiot!" He snarled.

Ichigo crossed her arms.

"What about everyone else? Did you think we'd waltz away and leave the rest of our team to be sacrificed in some pagan ritual of your people's?"

"I don't know why my people are putting their faith in Sensana's visions, but the sacrifice cannot take place unless all of you are present! Please Ichigo, let me get you and Berry out of here! We can escape, recuperate, think of a plan, then save the others!" Kish pleaded.

"Why just us two?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.

"One, you already know the answer to that, and two, both of you are considered the most powerful! My guess is that your power will be used as a catalyst to create a portal."

"Be that as it may Kish, we can't take that risk." A quiet voice said.

The group whirled around to see Tart, standing with his back against his bedroom door, arms folded, and a determined look set on his face. The smallest waulrinswi pushed himself off the wall and walked towards them.

"We have to get them all out." He said firmly, stopping in front of them with a glare that dared any of them to contradict him.

"Tart!" Kish breathed, "I though you were with Pai!"

"I was." Tart replied, "I was making sure he was busy with piloting the landing before using the plants to barricade the door. Hopefully that will buy use enough time."

"You, my brother, are amazing." Kish grinned, slapping him on the back.

"Why are you helping us?" Ichigo asked. Ever since she had met the younger alien he'd always loyally followed his brother's commands.

"Because," he began, but was cut off by another of Pudding's wails, making him shudder, "I hate hearing Pudding cry."

Kish nodded in understanding.

"How long do you reckon until landing?" He asked, floating over to Zakuro and Mint's room where he began to try to hack the lock.

"Five minutes until we reach orbit." Tart replied, gliding over to Lettuce and Pudding's room where the girl could still be heard crying hysterically, "Probably another ten or so for landing."

"We can't wait for this ship to land! They'll be waiting!" Berry cried.

"I know." Kish replied through gritted teeth, his face screwed up in concentration, "Almost… There!"

The door to Zakuro and Mint's room slid open, revealing the two girls looking completely stunned.

Ichigo nearly cried in relief as she ran forward to hug the pair of them. Other than puffy red eyes from crying, they appeared to be all right.

"What's happening?" Zakuro asked, bewildered as Ichigo dragged them out of their prison.

"Jail break." Kish grinned, just as Tart managed to crack the security code on Pudding and Lettuce's room, muttering something about Pai using family names being predictable. He instantly rushed into the room, clamping a hand over a shocked Pudding's mouth to keep her from yelling in greeting.

"W-What?" Lettuce stammered.

"C'mon!" Tart urged, "And don't make so much noise. Understand?" He directed the last bit at Pudding. She nodded, allowing him to take his hand away.

With everyone free, they gathered in the middle of the hallway.

"Ok, first things first, you'll need these." Kish began, passing out familiar, oval shaped pendants.

Ichigo gasped. She had been so distraught with the impending doom ahead of her that she hadn't noticed her pendant was missing.

"Where did you find those?" She asked.

"Pai took them off of all of you when he knocked everyone out. He thought he had knocked out Tart and me, but for some reason his magic didn't work. Well, on me any way. I don't know what possessed me to lie low, but I pretended his magic had worked, then followed him camouflaged as he left."

"You can camouflage?" Tart interrupted.

Kish waved the question away.

"Not important right now. Anyway, I saw where he left them, so before I came to get you and Berry, and when Pai and Tart had left for the cockpit, I grabbed these. I get the feeling the sacrifice would require you all to be in your Mew forms."

"It was extra assurance to only escape with a couple of us." Ichigo interpreted coldly.

"Right…" Kish admitted, his ears turning pink as Zakuro and Mint glared at him.

"What's the plan for getting off?"

"Well, that's going to be the tricky part.' Kish grimaced, "We need to be out of the ship and long gone before it lands. I can take two of you, and Tart can take two of you, but that leaves two of you stranded."

"No it doesn't." Mint replied confidently.

"Well, unless you suddenly learned to fly." Tart began crossly.

Mint rolled her eyes, "I share DNA with a bird Genius, it just took me a while to, shall I say, spread my wings?"

Smirking, Mint brought her pendant to her lips and kissed it, instantly transforming into her Mew counter part. At first, Ichigo didn't think she looked any different until Mint raised her arms horizontally from her sides, revealing a cloak of feathers that became long, elegant, deep blue wings.

Ichigo grinned despite herself. Nothing was keeping them from escaping now.

Mint kissed her pendant again, reverting to her human form.

"It was something I discovered by accident when training on my own." She explained, stowing her pendant in her pocket, "I don't know how long I can hold that form, but hopefully it will be enough."

"It'll be plenty." Ichigo replied with a grin.

"Do you think you can carry anyone?" Tart asked.

"Probably some one Pudding's size."

The ship jolted suddenly and shuddered.

"Quick!" Kish cried, "Pudding, with Mint, Ichigo and Berry, with me! Tart, take Lettuce and Zakuro! Quickly!"

Ichigo turned on her heel and ran. From all her nights of sitting with Kish in the front room, she knew exactly where to go. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, adrenaline coursing through her veins. They had to at least be prepared to jump by the time the ship entered the atmosphere, otherwise velocity would keep them pinned to the nearest wall.

Breathing heavily, she rounded a corner; took the stairs two at a time before the ship gave an almighty screech.

Ichigo and the rest of them froze, looking around wildly before the ship seemed to break through some sort of barrier. She gasped as the force sent her and the others careening backwards into the wall as the ship turned head over heels, throwing them about like marbles in a jar.

Ichigo's head slammed into the tile floor. She cried out, hitting the wall again, tumbling to the opposite floor, then fell against a chair. Disorientedly, she grabbed ahold of it, clinging onto it for dear life as the world spun around her.

With another trembling roar, a large crack suddenly appeared in the floor, racing up along the walls, to the ceiling, until it finally burst free.

Ichigo stared, wide-eyed up at the crumbling ship as she fell, still clutching onto the armchair. She could see Mint frantically reaching for Pudding. Tart holding Lettuce's hand tightly as he tried flying around the raining debris, Zakuro holding onto a stair railing; Kish, clutching Berry around her middle, his eyes locked on hers looking terrified as he reached out his hand, trying to save her from such a distance.

"ICHIGO!" He screamed as she plummeted to the unforgiving earth below.

Ichigo screamed as she fell, clutching onto the armchair as if it would somehow be able to save her from the impact. The wind whipped and lashed at her, making it difficult to breath. Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable impact, when an arm snaked around her and her descent was abruptly halted.

Ichigo gasped in surprise, letting go of the armchair, watching as it continued to fall.

"Don't worry, I've got you." Kish grunted, his grip around her tightening.

"The—the others?" Ichigo gasped.

"They should be fine." Berry said from above her.

Ichigo looked up to see the other girl tucked securely under Kish's other arm.

"Berry!"

Berry grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

Kish turned, intent to fly back in the direction of the wreckage, where Ichigo could see her teammates and Tart flying towards the ground. Then, another shape emerged from the ship, barreling towards Mint, in her winged form, and Pudding. Like a missile, Pai shot the two of them out of mid flight, catching them as they fell.

Ichigo and Berry screamed in horror as he quickly caught up with Tart. What became of them, Ichigo never knew. In the blink of an eye, Kish had turned on the spot and teleported away from the scene.

Ichigo fell onto moist, moss-strewn ground feeling numb. Around her she could hear the buzz of nature, water trickling from the leaves of the upper canopy, and the roar of a river somewhere in the distance. She lurched to her feet.

"Take us back!" She screamed, rounding on Kish, "We need to go back! We need to help them!"

"We can't!" Kish yelled over her.

Ichigo's head reeled. She had seen Pai come flying out of the wreckage. She had seen him strike down Mint and Pudding. And the others! They were probably all captured by now, most likely on their way to die!

"We have to!" Ichigo screamed again, tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes as she ran at Kish with her fists raised, "You heartless bastard! We have to save them! How could you only save us?" She shrieked, pounding on his chest before he caught her wrists, trying to calm her.

"Why?" She cried, her knees giving way. She collapsed against Kish crying.

Kish encircled her in his arms.

"Listen to me, both of you." He said, for Berry had not moved from where he'd dropped her. She was staring at the forest floor in numb disbelief, "I haven't given up on any of them. We will save the others. I promise."

Ichigo huffed, pushing herself out of his arms.

"You also promised you wouldn't let anything happen to us." She reminded him.

"And I intend to abide by that promise." Kish reassured her, holding out his hand and helping Berry to her feet, "But what your friends need most from you right now is for you to be patient and strong. Nothing ever goes well when you rush in recklessly, understand?"

They nodded.

"Good. Now, we need to get moving. Magic leaves traces and I don't fancy being found right now, do you?"

They shook their heads, and he nodded.

"Ok, follow me." He instructed, guiding them further into the jungle.

They walked in a long silence, taking the time to soak in their surroundings. The land was positively breath taking, with brightly colored flowers in the trees and on the ground, and even the giant yellow bananas Pai had said were acidic. Without Kish or Berry looking, Ichigo reached out her hand to run her fingers over an especially low hanging one. It was smooth and silky beneath her touch, but otherwise remained completely harmless. Further along, she saw the star shaped plant, folded around an unlucky animal as the plant digested its catch. The insects were interesting as well. A majority that flew about lazily in the area were brightly colored. They were larger than the insects on earth, the smallest being half the size of her thumb. Ichigo, not particularly fond of bugs, had been apprehensive at first as they buzzed around her, looking completely alien with multiple sets of eyes, but they had merely been curious, checking on the new creatures that had stumbled across their territory. Much to her and Berry's dismay, however, this planet also had some type of mosquito. Not long into their journey, the three of them were seemingly slapping at the air and scratching at welts that had risen on the exposed parts of their skin from all the bites.

"Do you have a particular place in mind to go?" Ichigo asked irritably, slapping another insect away from her shoulders.

"A hideout I found my first time here." Kish replied over his shoulder, stepping cautiously around a star trap.

"Why this certain place?" Ichigo asked.

"Remember what I talked about in training? About being prepared?" Ichigo confirmed that she had, "This place is like a den. It's hard to find, but easy to escape out of."

"Wait, hold up a minute!" Berry called from the rear. Ichigo and Kish stopped, finding Berry crouched down by a long, broad leafed, dark purple bush.

"We need to keep moving." Kish warned.

"I know, but I recognize this bush from the ship. Onsucs Rumukw, it can be mashed up and used to treat insect bites!"

Ichigo looked down at her puffy and red arms.

"Are you sure?" She asked, eyeing the plant dubiously.

Berry broke off a leaf, turning it over in her fingers as she studied it.

"Well, it's either that or Lenklu, which will give you a really bad rash."

"What? Are you serious?" Ichigo exclaimed. She desperately wanted to get rid of this burning itch, but the risk of an even worse rash wasn't appealing.

"I wouldn't risk it." Kish warned, "A lot of the plants here are acidic, and a lot of them tend to bite."

Berry dropped the leaf she was holding, quickly backing away from the bush.

"Are you sure?" She asked, eyeing is warily, "it doesn't seem to have teeth…"

"Yeah, they don't normally." Kish replied, gesturing impatiently for them to get moving.

Ichigo turned around, setting off after Kish, but not before she heard Berry break off a branch from the bush.

They continued on for hours, stumbling over the leafy forest bottom until the forest began to clear, and they were trekking across bright, whitewashed, rocks. Ahead, Ichigo could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

"Kish, is that the sound of an ocean?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure is." He confirmed, "Come on, we're almost there."

Ichigo followed, her eyes flitting across the bright blue sky, to the white washed rocks and pebbles, surrounded by small bits of moss and grasses. As they continued further, the ground they were walking on ended in a steep cliff. Ichigo glanced over the edge, seeing a sparkling, smooth expanse of sandy beach, and beyond that, a vast expanse of shimmering indigo ocean.

Though she had seen Japan's ocean many times, it was never able to take her breath away like this one. It was pure and untouched, free of human influence and pollution. Its waters were not tainted by the oil from fishing boats, or tarnished by the discarded trash of its fellow land dwelling inhabitants. Here, the water shone with unbridled purity, elegantly concealing and completing an entirely new world.

"It's beautiful." Berry murmured next to her.

Ichigo nodded in agreement.

"Come on, the easiest entrance is just up ahead!" Kish called over his shoulder.

Ichigo and Berry hurried to catch up.

Kish clambered over a group of boulder to the base of a large tree overlooking the ocean.

"Ok, just through here." He instructed, dropping down onto his hands and knees and slipping into a large hole sheltered by bushes and roots. The hole was so well camouflaged that Ichigo was positive she would never have seen it had Kish not pointed it out.

Ichigo and Berry exchanged a look.

"Ladies first?" Berry joked.

Ichigo rolled her eyes and got down on her hands and knees, following Kish down the rabbit hole.

The soil was cold and damp beneath her palms. The hole was large enough for her to crawl on all fours comfortably, but would be impossible for her to even consider walking through. The further down she crawled; the tunnel became steeper, indicating to her that they were heading further underground. She continued on blindly when she had crawled so far that the sun could no longer illuminate her passageway until her eyes focused on a strange soft blue glow. She paused, studying the glow that was now bright enough to allow her to see Kish's outline.

"Kish!" She called.

"What's up?" He grunted.

"What's that glow?"

"Is everything ok?" Berry asked from behind them.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just keep going, you'll see. It's actually pretty cool." He laughed.

Ichigo crawled forward, curious as to what the source of the light was. She put on hand in front of the other, followed by her knees. The fabric of her skirt slid between her knee and the soil. Unaware, Ichigo continued forward. The fabric of her skirt stretched and strained. Suddenly, the fibers of her skirt could no longer hold, and split with a loud ripping sound.

"Shit!" Ichigo exclaimed, reaching around to assess the damage.

"What's wrong?" Berry shouted, panic creeping into her voice.

"Nothing!" Ichigo reassured her. The tear was rather large, but luckily it had split horizontally, and it appeared to be low enough that it still worked as sufficient covering, "I just ripped my skirt."

"Really?" Kish called back, "How much?"

"Quit sounding so excited and crawl!" Ichigo snapped, her face heating up.

Kish complied, chuckling under his breath. He crawled on, allowing Ichigo to discover the source of the light. Small, bell-shaped plants grew out of the tunnel walls. Inside, they held some sort of luminescent property that gave off a soft blue glow.

"What are these called?" Ichigo asked aloud.

"They haven't been named yet." Kish replied.

"Why not?" Berry questioned.

"Cause I'm the only one whose seen them."

"And you didn't name them?"

"Uh, no. Ah, here we are."

Ahead of her, Kish shifted his body around awkwardly in the small space, allowing him to slip feet first out of the tunnel.

Ichigo crawled out after him.

They appeared to be in a large underground cave. A small stream flowed through the center of it, producing a heavy mass of those luminescent, bell-shaped plants. Other fauna grew out of the rock face as well. Small patches of a moss-like duplicate pulsed with a florescent purple glow. Tiny green grasses also peaked from in-between the rock crevices, as well as a sickly yellow type bush that seemed to have randomly sprouted at the far side of the cave. Even further, still covered by a thin layer of darkness, Ichigo could hear an odd assortment of grunts and whines.

"There's some animals that live down here, but they're harmless as long as you respect their space." Kish advised them.

"What kind of animals?" Berry asked nervously. Ichigo didn't blame her for being nervous. So far, everything on this planet had turned out to be dangerous.

"No name for these guys either. Though, come on over this way. Careful, they're skittish. Let them come to you."

He led them across the cave, then held up a hand to caution them to approach slowly. As Ichigo's eyes adjusted to the darker light, she was able to make out a few shapes shifting around. As she got closer, she was able to make out the animals entirely. They were small and round, looking like a miniature pig mixed with a small hippo. It had a rather large snout, ending in a pig nose that twitched back and forth, left, right, up, and down, constantly. Its eyes were small and black, almost squinted in appearance, and it had tiny, pointed, bat like ears. Like a hippo, the creature's skin appeared to be course and leathery.

Their noses began to twitch furiously as the approached even closer, wagging so erratically that they reminded Ichigo of a dog's over-excited tail. They began shifting nervously, stomping their four toed legs, and snorting. One, of the two Ichigo could see, puffed out the bulk of its body, trying to look bigger and more intimidating.

"Ok, sit and let them come to you." Kish instructed, "I think that they're extra protective because they have young."

Ichigo obediently sank to the ground, feeling slightly apprehensive as she watched them. For several minutes, the animals continued to grunt and snort, their noses going all over the place before the larger of the two took the first step forward. It approached the small group, sniffing wildly. She waited as it pressed a wet, dripping nose against her bare skin. Ichigo suppressed a shudder. It felt disgusting. For another long, drawn out minute, the animal continued to sniff the trio before it snorted, sounding bored, and walked back to its family. Curiously, a dozen of the young trotted out to investigate the newcomers. They looked like miniature versions of their parent, but baby pink, and small enough that they could've fit in the palm of Ichigo's hand. A few of the young stumbled against Ichigo. Their eyes were squinted shut. Like baby mammals on earth, the young creatures couldn't be more than a few weeks old. They sniffed at the trio wildly, bumping and crawling over each other. Berry extended her hand for one of the babies to sniff. It soaked in her scent by retracting its nose into its face before licking her tentatively.

"Yuck, they have sand paper tongues." Berry groaned.

"But they're cute." Ichigo grinned, petting a few of them lightly with her fingers, "Do they have a name?" She asked Kish.

"Nope. They're also something I've only come across." Kish informed them.

"How is it you came here with a group but only you know about them?" Ichigo inquired suspiciously.

"I have a curious personality." Kish winked. He then sighed and stood up, "Ok, I'm going to go see if I can find out what happened to the others."

Ichigo and Berry immediately jumped to their feet, the sudden motion sending the babies squealing back to their sires.

"We're going too." Ichigo declared.

"Oh no." Kish said sternly, "I know my way around a lot better than you two."

"So what?" Ichigo exclaimed, "They're our friends!"

"Do you listen to anything I say?" Kish sighed, "We need to come up with a plan first! That's why I'm doing recconasince! So just sit tight here while I go scope out the situation. You'll just be a burden to me anyway."

"If you expect us to just sit here—!" Berry began.

"That is exactly what I expect you to do." Kish replied, his tone offering no room for argument, "If you need something to do then spar each other. I'll be back in a few hours along with food." And with that, he teleported away.

Ichigo huffed, throwing herself back onto the cave floor.

"Why won't he let us help with anything?" She yelled in frustration, "How can he just ask us to sit tight while our friends are in danger?"

"It's insensitive." Berry agreed, sitting down next to her and setting the branch she broke off from earlier in front of her, "But he's right, we don't know our way around. Do you have any round stones around you?"

"I know, but it's still annoying. What for?"

"I need to grind these leaves into a paste."

"Are you sure that's the right, err, what did you call it?"

"Onsucs Rumukw? Yeah, I am."

Ichigo found a good looking rock for the task and handed it to her.

"Thanks, want to help me pull the leaves off?"

"Sure, why not." Ichigo agreed.

"Ok, I'll crush them as you pull them off then." Berry suggested.

Carefully, Ichigo began plucking leaves from the branch and dropping them in front of Berry, who began to grind them with the stone. Just as Berry had said, a fine violet paste began to seep out of the crushed leaves, coating the cave floor in front of her. When they had plucked the branch bare, Berry dipped her fingers into the paste and began smearing it over the bites afflicting her arms.

"Berry?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think everyone is ok?" Ichigo asked in a small voice.

Berry paused, her hands trembling.

"No." She finally replied, "I think they're terrified."

Ichigo pulled her legs to her chest, absently scratching at the bug bites adorning her legs.

"This is all my fault." She muttered.

"How do you figure that?" Berry asked.

"Because it is! If I hadn't agreed to this stupid mission, or fallen for Pai's lie, none of you would've been in this situation!"

"I disagree." Berry stated, "Each of us are human, and believe it or not we're capable of making our own decisions. Whether you had agreed to go or not, I know I would've still gone."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a Mew. When someone needs help, no matter who it is, I'll be there. Damn my altruistic side huh?"

The two of them fell silent for a while. Ichigo joined Berry in applying the paste for it seemed safe enough.

"What I don't understand," Berry began, breaking the still silence, "is why bother going through the training?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we were only to be brought here as sacrifices, why bother training us in survival skills and combat? Wouldn't it have been easier to just put us in some sort of forced sleep or lock us up?"

"Yeah, but remember Kish and Tart's reactions when Lettuce exposed Pai? Neither of them knew about it, so maybe it was to avoid suspicion so that we would willingly cooperate."

"It still doesn't make any sense. Even with keeping them in the dark, what was the point of all the training? How is it beneficial to the waulrinswi if their sacrifices can fight back?"

"Perhaps the plan was to keep it a secret all the way until the winter solstice." Ichigo said slowly. Berry cocked her head, contemplating this statement, "They're living with the constant threat of these creatures. If we arrived earlier, which we did, it would be useful to employ us to help keep them protected until the time came to kill us."

"Yes, but that doesn't account for how they'd be able to fix the situation if one of us had died before the winter solstice."

"No, it doesn't." Ichigo agreed, "I honestly think it was the best answer would be for a means of distraction. Remember how Pai had forbidden us to enter the control room and his bedroom? I bet you anything that was because we'd instantly find him out."

"Well, that's starting to make more sense." Berry admitted, "It would also explain why he kept us so exhausted that we only wanted to either eat or be in our rooms to sleep."

"To bad Lettuce found that translator." Ichigo snarled sarcastically under her breath. At the mention of the girl's name, the two girls felt the tendrils of cold dread wrap tighter around their hearts. Ichigo prayed to whatever entity inhabited this planet that they were all right.

"That reminds me. When you guys were telling me about the aliens, you had mentioned something about Pai liking Lettuce." Ichigo nodded, "But on the ship he said he would do whatever it takes to protect his family. Did you know he had a family?"

Ichigo shook her head.

"We only knew that Tart was his younger brother and that Kish was more or less adopted. Heh, now that I think about it, we really didn't know anything about them." She said bitterly.

"But what made you think he had feelings for her?"

"Well, Lettuce was the only one Pai seemed to respect. He wasn't condescending towards her like he was with the rest of us, and if he had to chose to talk to one of us, it was always her."

"Respect and affection are two different things." Berry noted dryly.

"I know." Ichigo replied, "He just seemed to always have his eye on her though."

They lapsed into silence again, both of them scratching at their arms and legs. They weren't getting any relief from the Onsucs Rumukw.

"What do you think we should do until Kish gets back?" Berry asked after a while.

"I don't know… Want to explore?"

"You read my mind." Berry grinned.

After a few hours of exploring, Ichigo could see why Kish was so partial to the place. There were several entrances and exits. One opened up into a cliff face with a steep drop into an assortment of jagged rocks and roaring waves below. Ichigo was slightly worried that it would be an obvious entrance, but when they stepped onto the small foot hold the rock face provided, they realized that it was actually well hidden, not to mention hazardous to try and get to. Another tunnel ended with a dead end where the cave had collapsed inward, leaving a blocked passageway of rock. They did, however, find one entrance to be troublesome. It led to a wide-open clearing, marked with several large boulders that seemed to point to its obviousness. Ichigo and Berry had been contemplating whether or not to try and destroy the boulders and cover up the entrance until they realized the pigoppotimi, the name they had decided to call the cave dwelling animals, relied on a scent from the rocks to find their way back to their dens. Apparently they did not have very good eyesight.

"There has to be a way to make sure no one stumbles upon this by accident." Ichigo grumbled, searching blindly for something in the tunnel or even in the surrounding area.

"We could try setting traps around the area instead." Berry suggested.

"We'd be in the open too long." Ichigo reasoned.

"Yes, you would." Kish's voice sounded from thin air.

Ichigo and Berry screamed, whipping around to see Kish materialize out of thin air, carrying a small bag and looking displeased, "What are you two doing? I specifically said to stay put."

"We were exploring the cave." Berry answered honestly.

"Really?" Kish glanced around at the small clearing surrounded on all sides by trees, "Funny, I thought the cave was underground."

Ichigo pursed her lips.

"We were getting to know our surroundings, which, this area, incidentally, is wide open for attack."

"No it's not. Plenty of animals live underground."

"Yes, but you found this place. What's to keep other waulrinswi from finding it?"

"You forget that generations of waulrinswi have been forced to live underground. They're not eager to go back down anytime soon."

"But you did." Ichigo countered.

"Yes, but I'm not normal. Now get back in the cave. There's a large manhunt for the two of you."

Ichigo and Berry quickly disappeared into the tunnel and crawled back to the tunnel with Kish right behind them.

"Ok, first things first, here's some fruit." He told them, throwing a bag at Ichigo. She caught the bag and opened it, finding an assortment of brightly colored fruits; a leather bound book, and some reading glasses.

"What are these?" Ichigo asked, pulling out the book and the glasses.

"I stole the book. It was my team's journal. It details everything we were able to investigate in our research of the planet. It should have plants, their properties, animals and what not. The glasses have a translator built into them. Berry, I figured you'd find it helpful." Kish explained.

Berry reached forward eagerly to take the book and glasses.

"So," Ichigo began, dreading the answer, "Were you able to find out anything about the girls?"

Kish nodded, sitting down crossed-legged on the cave floor.

"They're ok right now." He informed them, "They're being held in one of our holding cells, which is a deep pit in the ground, steep enough that one can't climb out of it and an electric current running across the top to prevent flight and teleportation." Ichigo had a vague memory of Disney's _Hercules_ with the Titans trapped in the pit, "I was able to make contact with them. I told them that you two are safe and that we're working on a plan to get them out of there. What troubles me though is that their pendants were taken and they looked a bit roughed up."

"Nothing serious?" Ichigo interrupted, sounding panicked.

"No, just a few scratches and bruises." Kish reassured her.

"Food and water?" She asked.

"They're not going to let them die." Kish replied, "Don't forget, they have to be live sacrifices."

Ichigo flinched at the term.

"How long do we have?" Berry questioned.

"On this planet, about three weeks. According to your earth time, a little more than a month. Oh, that reminds me. Beneath all the food is a change of clothes. As far as we can tell, the weather here can be very unpredictable."

Ichigo began digging through the bag, comforted with the news that they had time on their side. She pulled out melon-green, gourd-shaped fruits, along with varying colors of star shaped berries and round bunches that looked like grapes.

"Oh shoot…" Berry muttered.

"What?" Kish asked, but Berry ignored him, catching Ichigo's attention with the guilty edge in her voice.

"What?" Ichigo repeated for Kish.

"That plant wasn't Onsucs Rumukw. It was Lenklu."

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization as Kish keeled over laughing. They were about to suffer from a really bad rash.

* * *

><p>AN: Edited portion now up. Don't worry, there were just minor changes. As for updates, it's looking like a chapter every other month.

Guest, you mentioned a series where you think I got the clone idea from. Believe it or not, I've never heard of it before. My friend, Hisoka1021 and I were talking about the best explanation we could come up with for why the aliens were so insistent that the humans were destroying the earth. The best explanation, we decided, was that they had already made all the same mistakes. Therefore, they've already tampered with "taboos" and suffered the consequences from it, and I figured cloning would be one of the high problems they had to overcome.

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story. As always, I appreciate your feedback!


	10. Things Fall Apart

Chapter 9

Things Fall Apart

Ichigo crouched low in the sea-facing entrance of the tunnel, watching with narrowed eyes as a small hunting party of waulrinswi scowered the beach below. They were all male, with Pai's sturdy build and weapons strapped to their backs. They were all dressed in heavy winter clothing: long baggy pants, long sleeved shirts, and heavy woolen cloaks slung over their shoulders.

An icy wind picked up, blasting Ichigo despite the cover of the rocks. Ichigo drew her stolen clothing tightly around herself, but continued to watch the warriors with rapt attention. Kish hadn't been kidding when he said the weather was highly unpredictable. Barely a week ago, when they had landed, the planet was hot and humid, like a tropical summer. Overnight, however, it had suddenly changed. The weather had dropped by marginable amounts, making the air suddenly dry and the plants begin to shrivel. Like on earth, the leaves here changed color, slowly wilted, then fell to the forest floor, leaving the branches bare. The only plants that seemed to keep their leaves were the carnivorous bunch, though they seemed to have retracted into themselves and gone into some sort of hibernation. Ichigo could've sworn she'd even heard one snoring when she'd been out to collect water.

One of the waulrinswi shouted something to its companions. They agreed and continued working their way down the beach until they took shelter by several rocks. One teleported away before reappearing moments later with several blocks of wood. Another pulled the bow from his back, cocked an arrow, and fired. The instant the arrow hit the wood, it erupted into a flickering fire that was impervious to the roaring wind around it.

"_Odd."_ Ichigo thought to herself, watching as the rest of them went about setting up camp, _"Why don't you just go back to your village?"_ She bit her lip, unconsciously scratching at her already red arms. Berry had finally been able to produce the right antidote, but it was taking a while for the stuff to actually work. Ichigo's eyes widened as another thought flicked through her mind. Did they know they were somewhere near by? Had they set up camp hoping they would come out on their own? Not that that would do them much good. Ichigo and Berry were hardly allowed outside the cave entrance at any given time, and when they were, Kish was close by to ensure their safety. Even when Kish left and returned, he would use a different entrance or exit, then teleport from there. Ichigo had asked him again why he wouldn't simply teleport back, and he again replied that magic leaves traces. She wished he would explain what he meant by that. She still didn't understand how that worked.

Moving cautiously, Ichigo began to slowly creep backwards. If anything, she had to let Kish and Berry know about their surprise visitors.

When she was halfway through the tunnel, and was certain that she hadn't been followed, she turned around and quickly scurried on all fours the rest of the way. Ichigo clambered out of the chamber in the wall to find Kish and Berry looking over the book he had brought her. They were sitting together next to a fire while Kish roasted some meat over its licking flames. Around them, was the family of pigoppotomi, munching on some of the grasses Kish had managed to scavenge from the winter world above.

"You guys look comfy." Ichigo commented, allowing the warmth of the fire to embrace her as she sat down. She drew her own cloak, a waist length garment made from some sort of dense plant found on the planet, tighter around her shoulders.

"Yeah, well, it's close to freezing on some parts of the planet." Kish replied, "I'm having a hard time believing that it's not even winter yet."

"No kidding." Ichigo remarked, scratching the stomach of a pigopottomus that prostrated itself before her. It grunted, leaning into her touch.

"How do things look?" He asked.

"Not good." Ichigo replied. Kish and Berry looked up from the book, "I was at the sea entrance because, well, you know, I wanted to see the ocean." The other two nodded in understanding, "Any way, I was overlooking the beach when I saw a party of waulrinswi show up. They were searching around, probably for us, but then they just made camp to escape the wind."

"So they're still there?" Berry murmured, furrowing her brow.

"I believe so." Ichigo nodded, "They didn't seem to have any intention of leaving. Do you think they know we're here?" She directed at Kish.

"I doubt it." He replied, shaking his head.

"But even if there's the slimmest possibility." Berry began in a worried tone.

"I'm not going to be worried unless they start poking around the entrances." Kish said, "I've teleported around that area a few times, but it shouldn't be close enough to give us away."

"That reminds me." Ichigo cut in, "One was able to teleport, and another used a bow and arrow to start a fire. Why didn't they just go back to the village?"

"Probably because it's cold and would be a long walk." Kish yawned, flopping onto his back.

"But if they can just teleport it isn't and issue." Ichigo pressed.

Kish glanced at her from under his bangs.

"What?" She asked defensively. She had the vague feeling she was missing something.

"Ichigo, you don't honestly think all waulrinswi have powers do you?"

Ichigo bristled, rather taken aback. Every waulrinswi she had met had powers. Why would that be a ridiculous assumption?

"Yes." Berry answered for her.

Kish rolled his eyes.

You don't mean to say that they don't?"

"Well no, it's a recessive trait." Kish replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Not to mention it began as radioactive mutations."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Ichigo snapped.

"And why didn't you mention anything?" Berry exclaimed, leafing through the book to the blank pages where they had begun to carefully draw a map of the waulrinswi's village along with notes on their activities. She quickly scanned through their notes.

"You didn't mention anything about waulrinswi not having powers!"

"Well, it wouldn't exactly be of any use would it?" Kish reasoned.

"But it's still information that we need to know!" Berry cried, instantly pulling out the charcoal stick they'd been using, "How much of the population doesn't have powers?" She asked.

"Probably about eighty-five percent, give or take a few." Kish replied.

"That many?" Ichigo gasped.

"Don't let that fool you." Kish warned, "Everyone's a trained warrior, including the women and children."

"Except for the nobles and fortune tellers." Berry noted, scribbling the new information down furiously.

"Or government officials."

"Oh right, forgot them."

"What's the reason behind that again?" Ichigo asked.

"The nobles are the descendants of those who built the ships that saved us from the apocalypse of the first world. In memory to them, and so that they can continue to research and develop ships, they are exempt from the draft. Fortune tellers, because their bodies are generally weak, and government officials because they're the ones that uphold our laws, manage the economy, etc."

"It's really not to different from previous centuries on earth then." Berry summarized.

"Just without royalty." Ichigo replied, "Berry, can I see that map again?"

Berry passed her the book and Ichigo flipped through the rough sketch Kish had drawn for them. The village was currently located just outside the forest. In the image, the forest was drawn as a series of lines off to the left side of the page. Next to it were a series of squares in a circular formation. These represented the houses that the waulrinswi inhabited, with the largest building, housing the nobles, fortune-tellers, and the government officials. This building was drawn in the center. According to Kish, the waulrinswi had built stone structures, despite constantly being on the move from their pursuers. Ichigo remembered asking him how it was possible for them to just build a city like that and then leave, but Kish had replied that there were a select few waulrinswi who could control the rocks in the ground. Homes and structures could be made within a few days time, then returned to its original place when abandoned.

Ichigo's eyes lingered over a section towards the right. This particular area had a circle with a series of lines drawn over it. This was the picture representation of the prison. That's where the other girls were being held.

"They're doing fine." Kish informed her, noticing the attention of her focus, "They said they're practically being treated like royalty if it weren't for the fact that they're there as sacrifices."

Ichigo nodded, though the information did not help to quell the knots that continued to coil in her stomach.

"When are we going to get them Kish?" Ichigo groaned.

"When I can figure out an adequate escape route." He replied, "We're not just going to rush in without a means of escape. Otherwise it'll be pointless."

"You've been there at least four times a day since we came here. What can we use?" Berry asked.

"I don't know yet. We don't exactly have those mechanical pollutants you use on earth."

"You mean cars?" Ichigo guessed.

"Yeah, the things with wheels." Kish nodded, though he sounded like he didn't know what he was talking about.

Ichigo looked down at the map.

"The prison seems to be furthest away from the trees, but what's on the other side?" She questioned.

"It's just a clearing in the forest. It actually outlooks a small lake, but everything's still surrounded by trees."

"If we could get Lettuce her pendant, we might be able to use the water to escape." Berry suggested.

"I've thought about that, but there's too many _ifs_." Kish said in return.

"Not if there's a distraction." Ichigo said quietly.

"Oh no!" Kish snapped instantly, "You are not risking yourself like that."

"So are you planning to do all of this by yourself then?" Ichigo snapped back.

"Yes." Kish replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Kish," Berry began softly, "we appreciate your concern, but this is too big of a feat for even you to be able to pull off all by yourself. Please, let us help you."

Kish bit his lip, rubbing his hand through his hair in a troubled manner.

"I don't see how you guys could. There's the largest man hunt I've ever seen out for the two of you."

"Then we should stop hiding." Ichigo stated.

"What?" Kish demanded.

"We should stop hiding." Ichigo repeated. She held up a hand to silence Kish, who looked prepared to shout her down at once, "Listen to me. It's us they're looking for. If we lead them away, Kish, that gives you a chance to free the rest of them. Then we can meet up back here."

"It's not that simple Ichigo." Kish sighed, rubbing his temples, "The two of you don't know your way around."

"Well of course we don't, you haven't let us out of the cave." Berry pointed out.

"That's for your safety." Kish hissed angrily.

"But it keeps us from helping you and the others." Ichigo persisted.

"Ichigo, Berry, I'll figure it out, just give me some more time."

"No." Ichigo replied stubbornly, "Tonight."

"Are you crazy?" Kish exclaimed.

"No." Ichigo stated defiantly, "Tonight, hell, even right now, you'll take us invisibly, on recon with you. From there we'll plan how Berry and I can be used as a distraction for you to rescue everyone else."

"I knew it. You've gone insane." Kish stated, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"Have I?" Ichigo challenged, getting to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Kish asked as she turned around.

"Walking out through the main entrance." Ichigo replied over her shoulder.

"What!" Berry and Kish exclaimed.

"I'm being serious Kish. Enough sitting around. It's time we took action."

Kish suddenly materialized in front of her, golden eyes cold and his brow furrowed.

"You're not going anywhere." He snarled.

"Yes I am." Ichigo replied calmly, her own eyes narrowed. Internally, her heart was racing. She hadn't forgotten the dangerous look in Kish's eye when he'd attacked her. That face still plagued her nightmares, but she forced those feelings down. Right now she needed to convey to Kish how important it was for them to act. She didn't care if she seemed irrational.

Kish and Ichigo continued to glare at each other, neither backing down as Berry stood up as well, clutching her pendant. She was prepared to separate them if they broke out into a fight.

"Fine." Kish sighed in defeat, "I'll take you, but you must promise me that you won't do anything irrational. No matter what, you'll stay within close proximity to me. When we get near the village, you will hold my hand so that I can camouflage you. You will not speak, nor will you make any noise. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly." Ichigo replied icily.

"Good." Kish growled, just as coldly, "Berry, pack some medical supplies and the two of you get in some warmer clothes. We'll leave as soon as you're ready." He instructed, his eyes never breaking the staring contest between himself and Ichigo. Ichigo nodded curtly before heading over to a small alcove in the cave, lit by the glowing mushrooms, where they had stored the extra clothing Kish had managed to steal.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Berry whispered, as Ichigo pulled a black turtle neck, thickly woven sweater, over her head.

"I'm tired of sitting around." Ichigo replied bluntly.

"I am too, but you haven't thought this through at all." Berry chided her, also pulling an identical sweater on, "Kish is right to be worried."

"I know Berry. I know this is ludicrous, but the sooner we learn the land the closer we are to saving everyone."

"But what then Ichigo? The last ship was crashed, how do we get off this planet?"

Ichigo stilled as she was pulling on a heavy set of pants.

"I don't know." She admitted with a glum expression, "I really have no idea what to do then, but Berry, I can still hear Pudding crying at night." She looked her companion straight in the eyes, "It breaks my heart to think I'm not doing anything for her, for any of them."

Berry looked pained at her statement. Ichigo knew she felt the same way.

Ichigo finished pulling the pants on, ripped off a piece of the fabric from her now practically shredded dress, and used it as a belt. While Kish had tried to get clothes that were a decent fit, the waulrinswi still had a slightly different build than humans.

"Here." Kish said coldly, throwing a pair of fur lined boots at the two of them. They reminded Ichigo of moccasins, with tanned animal hide on the outside and an inner fur lining. She pulled them on. They were slightly too small, causing her toes to scrunch together at the front of the boot, but she didn't complain. It was better than stumbling around in boots that were too big.

Berry pulled on the winter clothing as well, and was pushing her feet into her boots as Ichigo threw a cloak over her shoulder and fastened it with a silver leaf clasp. All the clothing felt heavy and foreign to her, but she knew it would keep them warm.

"Ready to go?" She asked, as Berry threw her own cloak over her shoulders.

"Medical supplies." Berry reminded her, walking back towards the fire pit where Kish was sitting, moodily poking at the flames with the food he had never eaten. Ichigo almost felt bad for fighting with Kish over this, but shoved those thoughts aside. Her team came first. There was nothing she wouldn't do for them.

Ichigo followed Berry over to the fire pit and Kish.

"Can you two summon your weapons without transforming?" He asked them.

Ichigo frowned. She'd never tried summoning her strawberry bell with out transforming first. She wasn't sure.

"I haven't ever tried." Berry admitted.

"Well, try now." Kish instructed.

Ichigo and Berry pulled their pendants out from the depths of their pockets. Ichigo held it, cupped in her right hand as she stared at it. She knew how to transform, but how was she supposed to just summon her strawberry bell?

"I'm guessing you don't know what to do." Kish muttered.

They shook their heads.

Kish sighed, "Ok, usually when I summon my swon kraujin—"

"Come again?" Ichigo interrupted.

"Sorry, my twin dragon swords. That's the direct translation I think."

"Oh ok. Continue."

"Right, so when I summon my dragon swords, I really focus on their shape and structure. I imagine them materializing from thin air into my hands, like so." He demonstrated by holding out his hands. The air around the palm of his hands shimmered. Slowly, it seemed to condense before him, forming the outline of his three-pronged swords before they materialized completely. Kish caught them, twirled them around his fingers expertly, before passing them to the two girls to see.

"I don't know if it will work for you guys, but you could give it a try."

Ichigo nodded, stretching out her arms and holding her palms facing outward from her body, the pendant carefully clutched with her palm. She closed her eyes in concentration, imagining her strawberry bell; the smoothness of its handle, the heart shape and its light weight. She imagined the jingle of the bell, and the intricately carved wings around it. She focused, and she concentrated, but still, nothing appeared.

"It worked!" Berry exclaimed.

Ichigo opened her eyes, to see Berry looking amazed as she held her small staff in front of her.

"Good." Kish nodded, taking it from her in order to make sure it had fully materialized, "First try, that might be a record."

Berry blushed, thanking him quietly as he handed it back to her.

"No luck Ichigo?' He asked her, noting her empty hands.

Ichigo shrugged before closing her eyes and trying again. She concentrated harder, focusing on the color and consistency of her bell, but she still felt nothing in her hands.

She shook her head, opening her eyes.

"It's no good. I can't get anything." She said.

"What about that katana of yours?" Berry suggested.

"I have no idea how I even got that." Ichigo admitted, remembering the silver blade that had appeared before her the night Kish had attacked her. She had been able to summon it a few times during training, but usually it just came to her. She had no idea how to actually summon it.

"Can you try summoning that?"

"Wouldn't hurt." Kish added.

"Here goes nothing." Ichigo muttered, closing her eyes again. She imagined seeing the blade that appeared before her, but her memories of the blade were fuzzy. So much had been happening when she'd summoned it. She tried to draw upon her memory. Had it been short? Long? Medium in length? She was no expert on swords, how was she supposed to know. She remembered that it had felt light, and had strawberries engraved in the side of the blade, but what else? How did the handle look? Did it fit perfectly in her hand? She just couldn't remember.

Her lack of being able to recall the blade resulted in how she predicted it to. She was unable to summon the blade. Not even a tremor in the air particles around her could indicate that she was anywhere close to having summoned it.

"No luck." Ichigo announced with a sigh.

"That's odd." Kish murmured, rubbing his chin in a manner of thought.

"Could I transform? I'll probably be able to get it if I transform."

Kish shook his head, "too risky with that band of waulrinswi out there. You're magic might alert them to our location."

"How does summoning weapons not alert them?" Ichigo countered.

"Less magic is needed." Kish answered simply, "Ok, here's what we'll do. Take my dragon swords." He handed them to her, handle first. Ichigo took them, feeling slightly put off. Too many times had these items been used against her, Masaya, and the other Mews. She would have preferred to use her own weapon. These felt unfamiliar and foreign in her hands, "Same as with weapons training on the ship. Just use them like an extension of your body. You'll need to get closer than you're comfortable with, but they'll serve you just as well."

"What about you?" Berry asked.

Kish held up a hand to his face, examining his fingers uncomfortably, "I… I'll be alright." He replied.

Ichigo couldn't help but agree silently. When he'd gone insane, his mere fingers had managed to break the ground around her and punch through metal as if it were putty.

"Ok, are you guys ready to go?" Kish asked.

Ichigo nodded as Berry picked up a small bag filled with medical supplies, water satchels and berries.

"Right, remember my rules. Break any of them and we will come straight back here and I will tie you up if I have to in order to make you stay put."

"We won't endanger ourselves or you Kish." Ichigo assured him.

"See that you don't."

"Lead on." Ichigo gestured towards the main exit.

Kish sighed, before inclining his head for them to follow, "We'll go out the main entrance. I'll go first to make sure the coast is clear. I'll head into the trees, then Ichigo, follow when I give you this signal." He brought his hands to his mouth and made a soft cooing noise that sounded like a dove, "This will tell you that the coast is clear. Berry, you come last when I give the signal again. Sound good?"

"Why me first?" Ichigo asked, not liking the idea of leaving Berry alone.

"Isn't it obvious?" Berry asked, "You're the one who's at the most of a disadvantage. You don't have your own weapon."

"Well yes, but—"

"I'll be fine." Berry smiled, gripping her shoulder tightly, "But thank you for worrying about me."

Ichigo nodded. She needed to trust the other girl's abilities.

"Alright, let's go." Kish instructed, turning around, and beginning to walk out. The two of them followed, getting down onto their hands and knees as they began to crawl through the tunnel. Ichigo began to feel warm, the clothes were definitely heavy, and they kept the heat from her movements in rather than being breathable. Soon, sweat was lining the insides of her clothes, causing them to stick to her uncomfortably. It was the oddest thought she'd ever had, but she really hoped it was freezing cold outside.

Kish easily maneuvered himself through the tunnel, quickly bringing them to the entrance.

"Remember, only come on my signal." He cautioned, before jumping out of the tunnel and sprinting into the trees. Ichigo peered out the edge of the entrance, watching as he slid behind a tree before floating up into the air. He made a quick scan of the area from a perch on one of the higher branches, before jumping nimbly back onto the ground. Ichigo heard the cooing of a dove, and saw Kish motioning her over.

"Be safe." Berry whispered.

Ichigo nodded in response before launching herself out of the cave and sprinting towards Kish. He wasn't kidding when he had told them it was close to freezing out. Despite all her clothing, Ichigo was still cold. She could feel the wind lashing at her exposed skin, and it didn't help that she had been sweating.

Kish caught her when she approached, yanking her behind the tree with him and holding her securely in his arms. They heard a rustle in one of the bushes. Their eyes narrowed in on an area in the trees, where a long, deep blue, leafed plant, that had apparently not lost its leaves, shook. Kish's grip on Ichigo tightened, and this time, Ichigo felt as her flesh became invisible, blending in with the trees around her and Kish. They watched with baited breath as the bush began to shake harder, then, a small furry creature appeared. It was about the size of a fox, with midnight black fur, a long snout, and floppy ears that dragged across the ground as it foraged in the forest floor. A short, stubby tail stuck straight up in the air, waving like a flag.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief as Kish allowed them to become visible again. He brought his hand to his mouth and made the cooing sound again.

"What is that?" Ichigo whispered as Berry raced out of the cave and ran towards them.

"Linj uauruk." Kish replied, "Don't worry, they're harmless."

"It scared me for a minute there." Berry breathed, now at the tree with them.

"Same here." Ichigo agreed.

"Ok, let's walk, then I'll teleport us closer."

"Couldn't we just walk the entire way?" Ichigo asked. She really didn't like teleporting.

"Um, no." Kish stated plainly, "It's entirely on the other end of the continent."

"Ah…" Ichigo remarked.

"Now that that's settled, follow me." Kish instructed.

Ichigo wrapped her cloak tighter around herself as another gust of wind blew through the autumn forest.

"I didn't think it'd be this cold." Berry shivered, warming her hands with her breath.

"I warned you." Kish replied over his shoulder as he began picking his way over the fallen leaves and through the trees.

"How are you only in a cloak and your usual though?" Ichigo inquired.

"Well, it's cold, but it's not that bad."

"Not that bad? It's freezing out!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Trust me when I say this isn't freezing." Kish replied, "You Earthlings are just wimps."

Ichigo rolled her eyes.

Kish led them further into the forest before coming across a particularly large tree.

"Grab my hands."

Berry and Ichigo grabbed his hands without question, and they instantly disappeared on the spot.

They stopped near a tree miles away, landing neatly on a sturdy branch.

"What are we doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll just need to rest for a few minutes." Kish gasped, collapsing against the trunk of the tree.

"Are you ok?" Berry asked, rushing to his side and opening her medical kit.

Kish waved her off.

"I'm fine, teleporting can just take a lot out of me, and lately it's been taking even more out of me."

"What do you mean?" Berry continued, pulling her bag from her shoulder, "Here, have some water."

"Thanks." Kish smiled, taking the water satchel from her and drinking deeply.

"Ichigo, do you want something to eat?" Berry indicated the bag as she sat down next to Kish. Ichigo took the bag from her, sitting down as well.

"How much does it take out of you to teleport?" Ichigo asked Kish.

"A lot. Traveling short distances is easy, but we've traveled over one hundred kilometers in one transport. It's taxing to say the least. Give me a minute, then we'll continue on foot for a little while until my power levels go back up."

"That's fine." Ichigo replied, handing the bag back to Berry. She was too anxious to feel hungry. Instead, she gazed at the forest around them. It was strange to her that a tropical forest would show the same life cycles as a temperate forest. She was used to the tropical forests back on Earth never losing their leaves because of the climate. Here however, it didn't seem to matter. Nearly all the leaves were gone from the trees and lay on the forest floor, big and small. The carnivorous plants, that she could see, had curled into themselves like they were in some sort of hibernation. The meager sunlight still had to peek through the branches and stems of the trees, and peppering the otherwise shaded region in golden streams.

"Hey, take a look behind you." Kish commented.

Ichigo glanced over her shoulder, her mouth falling open in awe. Two, bright white horses could be seen lying together against the trunk of a large tree that was still working on shedding its leaves. They looked tranquil in their surroundings, grooming each other's shoulders with the sun glinting off their horns.

"Are those unicorns?" Berry breathed.

"Uh… if that's what you call them…?" Kish answered uncertainly.

"What would you call them?" Ichigo asked, quirking a brow in his direction.

Kish thought for a minute before replying, "hinuk hirsu."

"Did you have any on your original planet?" Berry inquired.

Kish shrugged, "I don't believe so, but I can't say for sure. I wasn't born there." He stood up, handing the water satchel back to Berry, "Let's continue on foot for a little while. Careful when we get on the ground though. They won't attack unless provoked, but they're wild animals. Still be cautious."

Ichigo nodded, though she was slightly disappointed. She was really tempted to climb down from the tree and approach the porcelain creatures. The way their silver fur shimmered when the sun hit it was like watching the light dance over the surface of water. She wondered how silky and light their coats felt.

She stood up, allowing Kish to wrap his arm around her waist, and the three of them descended slowly to the ground. Kish landed carefully, so as not to disturb the two unicorns, but they looked up anyway, deep amber eyes surveying them intently.

Ichigo couldn't tear her eyes away. Their beauty was so enticing.

She again resisted the urge to pull away from Kish and Berry, to walk across the mere meters that kept her apart from the beautiful creatures, to sit down between them and run her fingers through their manes.

"This way." Kish instructed, stepping lightly over the dead ground.

Ichigo finally was able to wrench her eyes away from the beautiful animals, and followed after him and Berry.

It really was no different than walking through a temperate forest in the fall. Leaves littered the ground with only small animals and insects wandering about. The air was still crisp and cool, and the landscape seemed to blend together, with the bark of the trees matching the coloring of the ground. Yet, it was completely different. While the trees on earth seemed big, these ones were towering, the size of the largest skyscrapers and towers Ichigo had ever seen. Some trees bases looked to be the width of a large house, while others were much smaller, more akin to what she was used to.

The landscape didn't change much as they continued. After an hour or so, Kish told them that he was good again. They both hooked arms with him before he teleported, this time landing them in another section of the forest.

"Now it's imperative that you stay quiet." He whispered, "I'm going to camouflage us now. The village is only a few kilometers from here, but I'm not teleporting us any closer."

They nodded, and Ichigo felt an odd tingling sensation dance across her skin as Kish turned her invisible. When she glanced down, she couldn't even see her feet. Her grip tightened on his arm. She knew the only way to stay invisible was to stay in contact with him. If she let go, their entire plan would fall apart, assuming there was anyone on the lookout for them.

She felt a gentle tug on her arm, and began to walk, stepping lightly on the ground. Here's where being part cat was useful; she could easily bear her weight in her toes, allowing her to step lightly and with stealth.

They walked in silence, weaving in and out of the base of the trees as they approached, but Ichigo couldn't suppress a small gasp when she saw the village. It may as well have been standing for years. Beautiful stone structures rose out of the ground. They were block like, some looking like small stone cottages while others appeared to be towers. These buildings all circled around the base of the tallest building. It was a regal looking castle, the architecture reminding Ichigo of the carefully carved and intricately designed mosques that were built in Spain during the 1300s. All the houses and towers seemed to surround this center in an outwardly expanding radius. There were no farms, as far as she could tell, only small gardens that grew outside of each individual settlement, as well as a large one that was off to the right of the palace.

"You don't keep any livestock?" Berry noted quietly.

"No, livestock tend to have a negative effect on the land, not to mention there's no time. It's too much of a hassle to move them." Kish responded just as quietly, "This way."

They didn't get any closer to the village. Now, he was leading them in a wide circle around the perimeter.

Ichigo watched closely. No streets had been paved, nor were any of the houses level. They rose and fell with the land, moving within complete harmony, as if the rock had grown that way naturally. She saw that the place wasn't laid out in any particular pattern. They were situated in the least obtrusive manner, encouraging the growth of the vegetation around them. Just outside the village, caught by the fading rays of the sun dancing off its surface, Ichigo was able to see a lake. On it, she could see boats, with the distinct silhouettes of waulrinswi. Whether they were fishing or turning in for the day, she couldn't tell, but the village practically screamed peaceful. It was like a place Ichigo had sometimes imagined in a dream, a beautiful paradise just outside the forest, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"It's a beautiful place." She commented, but her eyes were still scanning for the prison, the place where her girls were being held against their will. However, she couldn't see it. Perhaps they were simply to far to see the hole in the ground.

"Cimu in! Wu'zu jis si jus himu fir konnur!" ("Come on! We've got to get home for dinner!")

Ichigo covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. She hadn't even heard anyone until the voice suddenly sounded from overhead. She looked up, seeing a small tree house built into the upper branches of the tree just above them. A vine was lowered, and a small child, with dark, navy hair and a boyish complexion jumped down, nearly avoiding Ichigo as she quickly stepped out of the way.

"Csef! Mw maumau os jionj si roll mu!" ("Crap! My mom's going to kill me!") Another replied, jumping down from the tree, and landing on the balls of his feet.

"Raucu wie! Ni flwonj aulliwuk!" ("Race you! No flying allowed!") The other yelled, taking off at a sprint, and nearly crashing into the group if Kish hadn't quickly flown out of the way, carrying Ichigo and Berry with him. They touched down in the now vacated tree house, with Ichigo fighting to control her breathing as she stared after the kids.

"That was close." Kish breathed, as soon as he was sure the kids were out of earshot."

"Too close." Berry agreed.

"Did they notice us?" Ichigo asked, nearly in panic, "Are they running of to tell?"

"No, not at all." Kish reassured her, "They were just saying they were going to be late for dinner."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief as Kish turned them visible for a while, but he looked solemn.

"What's wrong?" Berry asked, noticing his expression.

"The kid with the darker hair, that's Inoarolri. He's Tart's closest friend."

"How old?" Ichigo questioned.

"Um, probably about thirteen in earth years." Kish responded uncertainly.

"What's the matter though?" Berry pressed. He hadn't answered her earlier question.

"I wish I could've asked him about what happened to Tart." Kish replied, "I haven't seen him at all every time I've been around the village. He's not imprisoned with the others. I'm just worried that…" He trailed off.

"That what?" Ichigo asked.

Kish knead his face with his knuckles, "Treason isn't taken lightly. Since the destruction of Gaea, we've always had the outlook towards the betterment of our people. Everything an individual can do can and will be done for our race. We're all we had left, that was the idea. For someone to do something that the race feels is an endangerment… the punishment is usually death. I just hope he's ok."

Ichigo's breath caught in her throat. She had been so focused on rescuing her fellow Mews that she hadn't even spared a single thought for the younger waulrinswi who had risked himself to help them succeed in their failed escape attempt. Despite knowing what was on the line, he had tried to help them.

"Oh God." She breathed, "Kish!" She grabbed his sleeve, "We have to go see if we can find him!"

"No, I can't take you in there! You agreed to this when we came Ichigo! You said you would follow all my orders no matter how much you disliked them!"

"You didn't mention Tart could be killed! Why didn't you tell us?"

"So you wouldn't freak out like this!"

"Kish he's your brother!" Ichigo cried, forgetting to keep her voice down.

Kish instantly clamped a hand over her mouth, listening intently to see if anyone had heard them. When it didn't seem that anyone did, he looked back at Ichigo, his golden eyes looking sorrowful.

"You think I don't know that?" He asked quietly, "Why do you think it takes me so long to go scouting? I've constantly been looking for him. Since the first day, I've always been trying to find him."

"Kish, if he's going to be executed for his crimes then forget just scouting, we need to get him out of there!" Berry insisted.

"I can't risk you two getting caught!" Kish exclaimed.

"Stop worrying about us and stop doing everything on your own! Take us in invisible. We need to find Tart before it's too late!" Ichigo yelled, ripping Kish's hand from her mouth.

"No." Kish replied sternly.

"And why the hell not?" Ichigo yelled in exasperation.

"Because I don't want to lose any one else important to me." He replied tonelessly.

Ichigo opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't. How could she possibly yell at him after he said that? It made her realize again how little she knew about him. He had told her that both his parents had died when he was very young, but that was all she knew. Knowing how he'd grown up, she began to wonder just how many family and friends had Kish seen die?

Ichigo placed a hand on his shoulder, "Ok, let's just continue what we came here to do, but if you find Tart, don't hesitate. Leave Berry and me and go after him. Get him out of there. Please just promise me that."

Kish stared at her for a while. She could practically see his brain trying to come up with a reason why that was a bad idea, and counteract with some sort of argument, but after a few minutes, he merely nodded curtly, and held out a hand to Berry. Berry took his offered hand, and Ichigo laced her fingers into his other one, giving him an encouraging squeeze.

Turning invisible, they finally descended from the tree house. It had grown darker during their time in there, the sky now filled with shades of pinks and purples, outlined and contrasted against a golden backdrop. Moonlight was beginning to compete with the rays of the sun, casting a softer light across the land. One remained high in the sky, another almost looked as if it was about to eclipse the planet itself. Every crater and blemish was contrasted against the silver surface, and the third was merely a small sliver of a crescent.

"I can never get over how interesting it is to have three moons." Berry mused quietly as they walked.

"It's quite a spectacle." Ichigo agreed, though her eyes were focused on the village. As the sun began to descend, it was getting harder to view the area. The buildings and houses looked as if they were growing together, becoming one huge mass within the shadows. Suddenly, there was a spark, then a large column of fire suddenly erupted from somewhere within the mass of shadows.

Ichigo gasped in surprise, closing her eyes at the sudden influx of light and warmth that spread to her. When she opened them again, the fire had died down, and the glow emanating from it illuminated the central portion of the village, right outside the main building. She could hear screaming and shouting, but the fire wasn't spreading. Were they having some sort of bonfire?

She glanced sideways at Kish, but her breath caught in her throat at the look on his face. He was as white as a sheet, his eyes as wide as saucers as the flames of the fire danced in the reflection of his corneas.

"Kish?" Berry squeaked, but without informing either of them, he suddenly let go and took to the sky, flying at break neck speed towards the glowing fire despite his insistence that they remain unseen.

"Kish!" Ichigo yelled after him, but he didn't turn around.

Berry and Ichigo barely exchanged a glance before they ran after him.

"Berry, transform!" Ichigo commanded, kissing her pendant and transforming in a burst of pink light. Berry followed suit, quickly transforming as well.

Ichigo allowed her animal senses to take over her, taking one last good step on the ground before jumping to the rooftops. She landed nimbly on her feet, rocked back on her heel, then took off, leaping with ease between the buildings. She and Berry used their heightened senses to avoid the waulrinswi they could sense on the rooftops, and dodge around areas of high exposure. They ducked against the side of a building, watching with baited breath as armed guards scouted the area, with one sounding like he was claiming he had heard something. Once they had left Ichigo and Berry crept out of the shadowed space. They could see the faint glow of the fire ahead. Ichigo glanced around, finding a stone staircase just behind them.

"This way." She whispered to Berry.

The two of them turned on their heels and ran up the stairs that circled around the perimeter of the building. They had to carefully duck around windows, stopping at each and listening to make sure no one was there before continuing. That sense of foreboding was beginning to make itself known in her stomach again.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Ichigo and Berry froze. They both recognized that long drawn out scream, filled with pure, uncontrolled agony. It was Kish.

With the thoughts of getting caught completely pushed to the back of their minds, Ichigo and Berry sprinted up the remainder of the stairs, scaled the expanse of the rooftop in a manner of seconds, and nearly fell over the stone railing of the rooftop as they skidded to a stop.

Beneath them, was a large roaring fire, surrounded on all sides by waulrinswi, and inside the fire, the source of the screams, sat Kish. Ichigo could barely make it out, but she could see him, on his knees, his head rocked back as he screamed his agony towards the heavens, a small figure wrapped tightly in his arms.

Ichigo gasped in horror, reeling back as if she'd been slapped with a hand over her mouth.

That fire was no bonfire, it was a pyre, and Kish had flown into it with out a second thought about the flames licking at his skin, or the fire that was burning through his clothes and skin, or even the smoke that was filling his lungs. Despite all odds, he had thrown himself into the blaze that had reduced the brother in his arms to a charred corpse.

"Tart!" Berry cried, "They didn't, they couldn't have -!"

"Come on!" Ichigo yelled, finally gaining her barring's as the initial shock wore off, "We need to get him out of here!"

"Ichigo, they just—!" But Ichigo cut her off, gripping her shoulders.

"I know!" She cried, tears dripping down her face, "but we need to get him out of here before he dies!"

They stood staring at each other for a minute, Berry gritting her teeth as tears streamed down her face, her pained expression mirrored on Ichigo's own face.

Another scream issued from Kish, followed by screams of terror from the other waulrinswi. His scream was feral, reminding Ichigo of that day, not so long ago on the ship. He had lost it.

"Hurry!" She urged Berry, before climbing up onto the stone railing and jumping off without a second of hesitation.

Gravity instantly took hold of her, pulling her to the ground, closer and closer to the crowd of waulrinswi.

"Id'r Ichigo Maw!" ("It's Mew Ichigo!") She heard some of the waulrinswi below scream.

In mid jump, she held out her right hand, her sword shimmering into existence and falling weightlessly into her hand.

She landed heavily in a crouch, her knees protesting the rough treatment, in an area of clearing the waulrinswi had given her. She swung her sword in a large arch, a warning for the waulrinswi to stay out of her way. Berry landed behind her, releasing her staff.

"Go get Kish. I'll create a distraction." Berry murmured, loud enough only for Ichigo to hear.

Ichigo nodded and took off at a run, using the waulrinswi as spring boards to jump up and over them. One of them tried to grab her ankle, but she planted her foot in his face and flipped, jumping up and over his head. She landed on another waulrinswi, vaulting off the screaming female's chest before landing near the fire. As if shot out of a rocket, Kish appeared from the inferno, his clothing ablaze, portions of his hair singed and burned, his teeth bared like a wild animal, and his eyes narrowed in blinding hatred. In his arms, held close to his chest, was the barely recognizable corpse of Tart.

"Kish!" Ichigo screamed.

Kish landed weightlessly, clutching Tart even closer before howling his agony in an angry roar to the waulrinswi surrounding him. They screamed in terror, tripping over themselves as the moved to make way for the enraged demon.

Ichigo landed on the ground as well, elbowing several waulrinswi out of her way, and slashing her sword wildly as she fought to reach him. Suddenly, Berry landed behind her again, knocking over a group of guards with her staff. Ichigo ducked as the staff flew over the area her head had just been, knocking another waulrinswi clear off his feet.

"I don't think I can do much more of this!" Berry yelled over the chaos.

"Hold out just a little longer!" Ichigo cried, locking swords with a gruff looking waulrinswi.

"Get out of my way!" She screamed, breaking the contact of their swords with an upper swing and driving her heel into his chest. He stumbled back and she followed with a swift round house kick to the back of his head, sending him plummeting into the ground; knocking him out cold.

Kish roared again, Tart's corpse slipping through his arms as he shook with barely suppressed rage.

"Kish!" Ichigo yelled again, narrowly avoiding the kick that was aimed for her mid section by leaping over it and vaulting off the top of the waulrinswi's head.

Tart's body crumpled to the ground, and Kish leapt into the crowd.

"NO!" Ichigo screamed finally breaking free and tackling him to the ground. They rolled several feet, Kish snarling and scratching at her arms as she wrestled to hang onto him, merely trying to hinder him from doing something he'd regret.

"Kish snap out of it!" She cried, holding onto his midsection, her sword completely forgotten yards away, she must've dropped it in the skirmish.

His nails ripped through the skin on her back, creating rivers of blood that flowed freely.

Ichigo cringed, but tightened her grip around his middle.

"Snap out of it!" She yelled, wrestling him to the ground and somehow managing to catch his clawed hands.

He growled, pulling back with alarming strength causing her to be thrown off balance. Taking advantage of her moment of weakness, he flipped her onto her back, straddling her as he brought his arm up, ready to strike her down.

Suddenly, a crudely designed arrow shot out from nowhere, lodging itself in Kish's shoulder. He cried out in pain, falling off of her.

Ichigo scrambled to her feet, only to be grabbed from behind by a burly waulrinswi, as a group of warriors surrounded Kish, their weapons drawn and at the ready.

"Let go!" Ichigo cried, struggling fruitlessly.

Kish stood up eerily slow, wrenching the arrow from his shoulder. A growl rumbled from the depths of his throat, golden eyes flashed dangerously.

"Stop! Don't go near him!" Ichigo cried, struggling even harder.

"Let go of her!"

Ichigo looked up in time to see Berry bring her staff down like a club over the waulrinswi's head. He instantly released her.

Ichigo didn't even have time to express her gratitude. One by one, the members of the group that had surrounded Kish were flying past her. Screams were the only sounds she could make out as she dodged and ducked around the flying bodies.

"Kish! Kish, stop!" she cried reaching for him again. She made a grab for his wrists, but he slapped her hands away, growling furiously. He harshly backhanded her, sending her flying to the ground in a daze. Still unable to see clearly, Ichigo leapt back up to her feet, staggering slightly as she lunged at Kish again. Their heads knocked against each other, sending a ringing sound through Ichigo's brain. In a daze, she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his nails grip her waist and sink in through the skin, grating against the bone.

Ichigo hissed in pain, burying her face into Kish's shoulder as his grip tightened.

"Kish, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She cried, pulling back until she could see his canines glinting from the light of the fire. With tears still streaming down her face, she leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and brought her lips over his. She kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck so that he couldn't pull away.

Gradually, she felt his nails retract from her skin. She gasped into the kiss, but kept at it, holding him closely as if he was the most precious thing in the universe. She felt his hands trace up the curves of her hips, then wrap protectively around her, pulling her flush against his body. For those few seconds, it felt as if the chaos around them had suddenly slowed and come to a halt. All she could feel were his lips against hers, the way their bodies molded perfectly together, and the heat from where the flames had burnt through his skin. After what felt like eternity, they pulled apart.

"We need to leave!" Ichigo gasped.

"Where's Berry?"

"Right here!" The other girl replied, running to their side with a river of blood issuing from her temple.

"Berry, are you hurt?" Ichigo cried.

"No I'm fi—!" She began, but ended up gargling on her own blood as it issued from her mouth like a waterfall, drenching her chin down to her neckline.

Ichigo's eyes widened as her gaze fell from Berry's face to the long, reptilian like appendage sticking through her chest. Ichigo's eyes followed it, from the triangular shaped tip to where it was embedded in Berry's chest, past the girl, and into the face of a creature she had never seen before.

It didn't have eyes, instead resulting in a smooth expanse of a face with an angular jaw line. It cocked its head to its side, opening its jaws to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth dripping with some sort of saliva that gleamed venomously.

* * *

><p>AN: Here it is! Sorry for the long wait! College... -_- Seriously, I swear I had at least one essay every week or some sort of exam to study for.

Any way, I feel like a horrible person. I'm so sorry Tart and Berry :( Even though I didn't like Berry in the series, she grew on me as a character when I was writing her. For those who hate Berry though, here you are XP.


	11. Waesf Aleurs

Chapter 10

Waesf Aleurs

"Berry!" Ichigo shrieked, ripping herself out of Kish's arms.

The javelin like tail embedded in Berry's chest pulled back out with a sickening squelch.

Berry gasped, falling forward and face planting into the ground. The monster above her retracted its tail. It literally looked like something straight out of a nightmare. It was as dark as the shadows of the night with a smooth expanse for a head that stretched back in a capsule shape, and a gaping mouth with a squared jaw. It stood on four sinewy legs that ended in three-toed feet, much like that of a bird's. Talons were at the ends of each of these toes, digging into the frozen earth beneath it. Its body was lean and lithe, every muscle and bone accented by the smooth expanse of scaly skin. Most notable was the creature's spin, were the tips of the vertebrae stood out and looked like that of a stegosaurus, only needle-like instead of plates. Its tail whipped about in the air around it, looking skeletal as if the sinew and scales were barely holding the pieces together. Traces of Berry's blood painted the air as the monster flicked its tail back and forth in an agitated manner.

"Berry!" Ichigo screamed again, rushing forwards despite the eminent danger.

"Ichigo!" Kish yelled after her with an unneeded warning, but Ichigo didn't hear him. Her entire focus was on her precious friend and teammate, who, with shaking arms, was trying to push herself up.

The creature behind her roared, the agitation of its tail increasing as she approached. However, Ichigo ignored these warning signs as she fell to her knees beside the other girl.

"Berry! Berry!" She screamed desperately.

She saw a rush of movement from her perrefrial vision, followed by the screeching of metal. Shakily, she looked up to see Kish standing protectively over her and Berry, his swords crossed in a defensive stance, catching the spear like tail that had been aiming for her head.

"Get her out of here! I'll hold it off!" Kish yelled over his shoulder.

Ichigo nodded, turning Berry over and scooping the girl into her arms. She leapt to her feet, noting with concern how frighteningly light Berry was, as well as how pale her face appeared as she struggled and gasped for air. With adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins, Ichigo sprinted back towards the crowd of waulrinswi, who, thankfully, did not try to stop or apprehend her. Instead, many of them, armed and at the ready, rushed past her to aid Kish against the monster.

Ichigo stumbled, falling back to her knees; barely managing to hold onto Berry. Choking back tears, Ichigo laid her out on the dry wisps of grass. However, Berry was already beginning to convulse. Violent tremors wracked her body as trembling hands reached for the gaping hole in her chest that was gushing blood. Underneath, Ichigo could see a pulsing organ that looked as if it had been ruptured. However, she couldn't tell if it was the girl's heart or lung.

Ichigo instantly brought her hands down over the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"Berry! Berry stay with me!" Ichigo yelled as liquid life seeped from beneath her fingers, drenching her entire hands.

Berry coughed, her eyes rolling as another tremor ripped through her. Her face was growing paler with each passing second.

"Stay with me!" Ichigo cried desperately. Panicked, she looked around wildly, finding herself surrounded by waulrinswi.

"Help!" She screamed, but didn't wait for their response.

"Stay with me Berry!" She nearly cried, trying to apply more pressure to the wound and block the passage of blood.

Berry coughed again, more crimson staining her face and dribbling down her neck.

"Help me please!" Ichigo cried again. This time, several waulrinswi rushed to her side. They were yelling something at her but Ichigo couldn't understand them.

Berry reached for her with a trembling hand. Ichigo removed hers from Berry's chest, clutching the other girl's tightly. Her hands were frighteningly cold.

"Stay with me! Berry you've got to stay with me!" Ichigo screamed. She was openly crying now as the waulrinswi moved around her, ripping open the top of Berry's dress to get better access to the wound. They yelled at Ichigo again, but their words were lost to her. Frustrated, one ripped Ichigo's hand away from the wound.

"NO!" Ichigo screeched hysterically, her grip tightening on Berry's hand. The waulrinswi then took her place, applying pressure to the wound as he barked orders at his comrades. Another approached with a small mask that they strapped over Berry's mouth and nose. More blood was seeping out of the wound. By now, Berry, Ichigo, and the waulrinswi were kneeling in a pool of blood.

"No! No! NO!" Ichigo cried, trying to reach forwards to help, only to be shoved roughly out of the way. The waulrinswi was shoving some sort of soaking cloth into the hole that his partner handed him, but each time the white strip tried to cover the edges it was instantly dyed crimson. Whatever it was they were trying to do, it wasn't working.

"No Berry, no." Ichigo groaned, tears flooding down her cheeks like a breaking dam, "Stay with me! Please don't die on me!"

The waulrinswi's actions were slowing. Distantly, Ichigo saw the one trying to treat Berry's wound shake his head in defeat. The bandages stopped coming, and the mask was removed. The fingers clutching Ichigo's hand tightened as Berry rolled her head to look at Ichigo, though Ichigo wasn't even sure if the other girl could see her. As if to signify her demise, her transformation fell away. No longer was Ichigo looking at Mew Berry. Instead, she was just Berry. Plain, mortal, delicate Berry. Pale faced and with trembling blue lips, Berry did her best to focus on Ichigo. Unfocused hazel eyes met watery pink.

"I…Ichigo…" She breathed in a rattling breath.

The waulrinswi moved aside so that Ichigo could get closer.

"I'm here Berry, stay with me now!" Ichigo cried.

Berry lifted her other hand, which Ichigo caught, feeling a small, oval shaped object pass between their palms.

"T-take t-that back-k to m-my p-p-parents for me." Berry gasped, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes.

Ichigo felt the heat rise in her cheeks as her eyes burned. Tears cascaded down her face, dripping onto Berry's hand as she held it close to her cheek.

"I will." Ichigo sobbed, her chest tightening painfully. She pulled the dying girl into her arms, giving her all the warmth she could muster.

Berry smiled in gratitude before giving one last shuddering breath and falling still in Ichigo's arms.

Ichigo opened her mouth in a silent scream as she squeezed her eyes shut and held Berry close. The girl's head lolled backwards, blood-matted hair brushing against Ichigo's thighs.

Ichigo felt an arm drape over her shoulders. Quickly wiping her eyes, she glanced up, expecting to see Kish, but only saw one of the waulrinswi who had been trying to help her. He gazed back at her with somber dark eyes, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

Despite the language barrier between them, Ichigo could tell that he was sorry for her loss.

Sniffing, Ichigo looked back down at her friend. She did not look nearly as peaceful as Masaya in his coffin. Her death had frozen her features in the image of pinched pain. Every laboring breath, every expression of agony, was laid bare on her face like some sort of twisted canvas.

Ichigo clutched Berry's pendant tightly in her hand, more tears leaking from her puffy eyes.

The waulrinswi kneeling next to her removed his arm and reached forward, covering Berry's face delicately with his hand. When he removed it, Berry's lifeless eyes had been closed. He murmured something softly that the other waulrinswi repeated, and with that, they placed a closed fist over their hearts and bowed their heads in honor of a girl they had never met.

Ichigo was at a loss for words. She was stunned by the respect that they showed her friend, and grateful that they seemed to care, but at the same time, she was pissed. How dare they care now! What were the Mews to them if not sacrifices? As far as she was concerned, the waulrinswi kneeling around her were just as responsible for Berry's death as the monster she could hear roaring in the background. It was they who had ordered Pai to retrieve them. It was they who had brought them to this planet, and it was they who had killed Berry. If the waulrinswi hadn't sent them a false cry, none of the Mews would be here right now. Berry wouldn't be dead, and the rest wouldn't be holed up like prisoners awaiting execution.

Ichigo clenched her fists tightly before she finally lay Berry down across the ground, feeling the cold metal of her pendant biting into her palm.

Yes, the waulrinswi were to blame, yet she was also at fault. She had made the executive decision to aid the waulrinswi. She had been the one to insist that Kish take them out scouting tonight. She had been the one to insist he help Tart if he could get the chance, and look what that had cost her. Both Tart and Berry were dead. Hadn't she promised Ryou? Hadn't she promised him that she'd bring everyone back home safely? Well look how that had turned out. She had failed.

Ichigo ground her teeth together as she chocked back another sob. She had to make this right for her surviving members, as well as for the memory of the fallen.

"I'm so sorry Berry." Ichigo whispered, brushing the blonde's bangs out of her hair before rising to her feet.

"Whaus auru wie kionj?" One of them exclaimed, jumping up after her and gripping her arm.

"Let go of me." Ichigo snarled, ripping her arm out of his hold. She didn't know if they could understand her, but she kept her glare cold, and her posture still. Body language was supposed to be universal. Now was the time to see if it really was.

The waulrinswi around her seemed to get the hint. The one who had grabbed her was no longer trying to restrain her, and the others were still crouched around Berry's body, exchanging glances and looking highly uncomfortable.

"Don't. Stop. Me." Ichigo punctuated every word with a pointed glare at each of them before turning her back on them all together.

Stretched out before her was a battlefield. Warrior waulrinswi littered the ground, some lying as still as the grave, others nursing injuries, and in the background, those still standing, were battling the monster. It was fast and lithe, dodging and avoiding the waulrinswi's attacks, despite being blind (as far as Ichigo could tell anyway). She watched as three attacked from the air, weapons poised lethally. They struck, but their swords and daggers only seemed to anger the creature as they bounced off its protective outer shell like pebbles on a rock. It roared, a long slithery tongue appearing from between its jaws before its powerful tail whipped through the air and sent the areole team flying.

Ichigo began walking forward as another team of waulrinswi managed to get to its under belly. In a flash of silver, the monster's right hind was severed from the rest of its body. It screeched in agony, a sickening yellow substance flowing out from the stump. Its blood. Ichigo held out her right hand. Eyes still focused on the battle before her, she flexed her fingers, summoning the katana to her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the hilt, gripping it firmly as she allowed her mind to clear. She shunted away her fear and anguish, allowing all of her senses to focus solely on the battle to come.

Ahead of her, the creature was still standing, screeching like a wounded cat as it used its tail to swat at the warriors like flies. Suddenly, a fast moving shadow moved into the fray, only visible to Ichigo because of her enhanced, feline vision. It darted underneath the monster in a blink of an eye. In another flash of silver the monster screamed again as a new wound bled freely on its underside.

"Their weakness is their soft underbelly." Ichigo murmured to herself. There, now all she had to do was get underneath it.

Ichigo forced her legs to move faster underneath her until she was in a full out sprint. Her blade grazed against the ground as she ran, slicing into the earth as if it were a sheet of paper. She was fast approaching the battle, the sounds of clashing metal, screams of terror, agony, and the never ending roar of the monster assaulted her ears. She cringed slightly at the onslaught of noise but pushed onward. She was almost there. She ducked to avoid a flying waulrinswi that had been sent reeling by the thing's tail. She then quickly dived to the side to avoid an arrow that had lodged itself into the ground she had been only moments before. Grinding her teeth, Ichigo quickly sprang back to her feet, spinning agily out of the way of more warriors, bringing her face to face with the creature's side. Before she could even fire a signal from her brain to her arms in order to lift her sword, she was struck in the side by the thing's tail. Ichigo gasped as she felt something snap, and in the blink of an eye she was sent flying.

Ichigo landed a good sixty or seventy feet away. She tried to catch herself on her feet, only to have her right ankle twist unnaturally. Her leg twitched violently and gave out on her, sending her careening into the ground with a harsh thud. Ichigo cried out, dropping her sword as she curled inward, one arm going to protect the broken rib, and the other reaching for her sprained ankle. For a few moments a wave of numbness spread through the two areas before her body was racked with onslaughts of white-hot pain, radiating through her nerves and penetrating the nerve center of her brain.

Ichigo groaned in agony, gritting her teeth against the agony. She had to get back up. She was dead if she stayed down. Hadn't that been one of the first rules Kish had impressed on her and Berry when they'd first arrived? Hadn't he made it clear that the ability to stay on their feet was their lifeline?

_"Well, he'd also told me not to land on my feet when sent flying."_ Ichigo recalled grudgingly, _"Stupid cat DNA."_

Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Ichigo pressed her palms firmly into the ground. She bit her lip to keep from screaming as she shifted her weight, agitating the dislodged rib.

"Ichigo!" Strong familiar hands gripped her shoulders and she was flipped around into someone's arms.

Ichigo gasped in agony, her vision momentarily blurring.

"Kish?" She gasped.

"I'm here Ichigo, I've got you. Are you hurt?" Kish asked, quickly brushing her hair out of her face.

"My rib… I t-think i-it's broken." Ichigo hissed.

"Come on, we've got to get you out of here! Can you stand?" Kish asked.

"I'll try." Ichigo replied, using Kish as support as she pushed herself up with her left leg. Once she was fully upright, she tried to put weight on her right ankle. Almost instantly her muscles spasmed against the sudden weight, nearly causing Ichigo to pitch forward if Kish hadn't caught her.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"Must've hurt it when I fell."

"Ok, put your arms over my shoulders." Kish instructed, helping her to lean up against him.

Ichigo leaned up against Kish, grateful for his support, yet kicking herself internally. She had leaped into the midst of the battle to help kill the monster, yet she had been able to do nothing. Against Berry's killer she had been tossed aside like yesterday's trash.

"Ok, easy now –,"

" –Kish look out!" Ichigo screamed, but her warning came to late. With an almighty roar, despite missing a limb and bleeding heavily, the monster shook off the waulrinswi attacking it, and leapt towards Kish and Ichigo. It knocked the two of them onto their backs, pinning them to the ground, one under each of its taloned feet.

Ichigo cried out again as her broken rib was crushed further. Kish grunted as well. The creature above them roared, spitting saliva into their faces. Ichigo squeezed her eyes closed, feeling flecks of foamy spittle drip onto her face. Her eyes suddenly flew back open as her nerves registered a sudden sensation. It burned! From where the small flecks of spittle had landed on her face, it felt as if it had been set on fire!

Ichigo shrieked in agony as it felt like the fire was spreading. She squeezed her eyes shut again, praying for the pain to stop. For everything to stop, maybe even to die so that she'd no longer be in pain.

"GET OFF ME!" Kish roared.

Ichigo heard the whistle of his blade as it swung through the air, followed by a pained shriek. Ichigo's eyes flew open to see the monster rearing back, yellow blood spurting from its soft underside.

"Get up!" Kish yelled, suddenly at her side and pulling her to her feet.

"Kish! Kish it's weak on its underside!" Ichigo gasped, clutching her side as she winced at any fraction of movement.

"I know!" Kish replied with a grunt as he blocked the monster's tail with one of his forearms, the clash sounding like smashing boulders, "I know, it's just hard to get a direct hit! This guy protects itself extremely well!"

"Then we need a distraction so you can get beneath it!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking hopefully to the other waulrinswi who had rejoined the fray and were currently reengaging the monster in combat. However, they didn't seem to understand the creature's soft underside.

"Kish, can you get me on top of it?" Ichigo asked softly.

"What? Why?" Kish exclaimed, sending her a protective glare that told her that he had no intention of doing any such thing.

"Because, if I can distract it long enough from above then that gives you enough time to get underneath it. Chop off its head. I think that's the only way to stop it."

"Ichigo you're injured! There is absolutely no way I'm letting you do that!"

At that moment, there was a loud outcry as more and more waulrinswi were sent flying. It was getting more violent. Blood was everywhere, littering the grounds and bodies of the fallen.

"We don't have time to argue!" Ichigo yelled back in exasperation.

"Ichigo, if we both survive this I'll kill you myself!" Kish threatened before roughly picking her up and taking off into the air. He then teleported, landing them both squarely on the back of the monster before teleporting away again. Not expecting the sudden move, Ichigo pitched forward, nearly falling off if she hadn't grabbed onto the creature's spikes. It was smaller than she expected. From a distance it looked like a giant, but upon it, it seemed to only be the size of a Clydesdale horse. Still large, but not as monstrous as she had originally thought.

Feeling her sudden weight, the monster leaped into the air, twisting its body in an awkward angle that almost sent her spilling off its side. However, Ichigo had managed to hook her left heel tightly through its spiny vertebrae, gripping to monster between her legs as she hung on for dear life with her hands.

Her broken rib and ankle screamed in agony as she hung on to the flipping and jumping creature. Suddenly, it whipped its head around, mouth drawn into a snarl, teeth flashing. With a horrified yell, Ichigo somehow managed to summon her sword in time, managing to deflect its teeth with the metal end. The monster snarled in response, again leaping into the air and kicking its legs tighter, feeling the vertebrae and rough scales digging into her bare legs. She gripped her sword tightly, bringing it over her shoulder instinctively when her ears picked up a sharp whistling sound behind her. As soon as the blade had made it to protect her back, she heard a loud clang. Horrified, she chanced a glance behind her to see the tail barely an inch from embedding itself into her shoulder. Forcing her legs to squeeze to monster tighter, Ichigo added her other hand to the base, trying to use the extra leverage in order to force the tail back. Her broken rib protested violently as she pushed more weight against the tail. Ichigo grit her teeth, trying to push the pain to the back of her mind.

The tail suddenly retracted, and Ichigo quickly swiveled back around, maneuvering the sword in front of her as it tried to attack her from the front again. She parried against its teeth, quickly knocked away the incoming tail, then brought it back again, lodging her sword horizontally in the monster's mouth. Razor sharp teeth ground against the blade flecks of spit landing on her hands and forearms. It pushed against her, teeth continuing to knish against the metal as she attempted to hold it at bay. Ichigo grit her teeth, pushing back with all her might, but it was a losing battle. The beast was strong. She might as well have been trying to stop an oncoming semi-truck.

"Any day now Kish!" Ichigo yelled before letting out a piercing scream as the creature's tail slammed into her left shoulder, shattering the bones underneath. Her entire arm instantly went numb as shock overtook the limb. Without the extra resistance the monster's head slammed into her chest. Ichigo lost her grip on the sword; her legs could no longer hold her either. She came loose, falling backwards over its side, her mouth agape in a drawn out scream.

The monster veered around, mouth at the ready to sink its fangs into her delicate flesh.

A flash of silver. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. One second Ichigo was staring into the face of her impending doom, and the next, its head and body were moving in two separate directions. Ichigo and the body slammed into ground at the same time its head went spinning briefly into the night air, flecks of yellow blood following before it landed a few feet away with a sickening thud.

Ichigo gasped in agony, landing on her freshly shattered shoulder. She lay motionless on the ground, her body trembling as each throb of pain wracked through her again and again.

"Ichigo!" Kish cried, dropping to his knees beside her.

Ichigo whimpered, flinching as his fingers carefully prodded at her ruined shoulder. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire, yet she was drawing into herself, her brain subconsciously trying to protect her. Black was dancing at the corners of her eyes. She tried blinking, but it was only becoming more concentrated. Her vision was swimming in a sea of black.

Distantly she heard Kish bark some sort of order in his language. She felt something small and cool pressed to her lips. Her head was tilted back, allowing some sort of fluid to pass through her lips.

It was too much. She couldn't fight the alluring tendrils of unconsciousness.

Warmth. She was encased in warmth. It felt as if she were reclining on a cloud, allowing its soft presence to keep her afloat. Distantly, she could hear voices, but it was as if she were hearing them through a radio on its lowest volume.

Ichigo twitched, her fingers grazing against something soft and fluffy.

_"Where am I?"_ Ichigo wondered vaguely.

The voices were getting louder, yet she still couldn't make out what they were saying. She felt another set of fingers grip hers. Who's were they?

Unfamiliar scents were tickling her nose. There was moisture around her, accompanied by a metallic scent that wasn't blood, floral, earth, and… Ichigo's nasal muscles suddenly contorted at such a foul smell. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was the kind of smell that leaks into your nose, acceptable at first, but once in, becomes horribly unbearable. It was a strong scent, reminding her of the strong chemicals her mom used to clean the house as well as formaldehyde.

Someone chuckled above her, and Ichigo felt the fingers gripping hers release her hand only to lightly smooth her hair.

Scrunching her nose, Ichigo forced her eyes to open. She was greeted by a flickering orange glow that danced across a darkened, earth shaped, ceiling. Ichigo blinked again, the rock face ceiling coming into sharper focus.

"Hey Kitty Cat, how are you feeling?" Kish asked softly, capturing her limp hand in his again.

Ichigo groaned in response, allowing her head to lull to the right where Kish sat, his golden eyes searching her imploringly. He looked relieved, but a bit paler than usual. Both of his hands were battered and bruised. He had a cut over his right eye that had been dressed and bandaged with some sort of grey paste. His green hair was disheveled, parts of it falling out of his usual style. Other than a few bumps and bruises elsewhere, however, he looked perfectly fine.

"Where am I?" Ichigo groaned, attempting to move her left arm to rub her bleary eyes. She suddenly hissed in pain as her shoulder throbbed in protest.

"Caurufel wienj waurroir, shaus aurm os nis wus huauluk." Said another voice.

Startled, Ichigo looked towards the foot of the bed she appeared to be in. At the foot of the bed stood a small group of waulrinswi. The one who had spoken appeared to be female. She had a small heart-shaped face and blonde hair. The two braided strands of hair that framed her face circled under her elf-like ears and seemed to connect into some sort of intricate hairstyle she had in the back. Her eyes were a soft earthy brown color that held nothing but concern for the stranger in the bed. She wore a long, solid-blue colored gown, covered by a simple white apron. Her hands, which she held clasped in front of her, appeared to be encased in something like a glove, but Ichigo had never seen a glove that rippled and moved like water. Next to this female was a warrior. He was covered from head to toe in plated armor, with a spear and shield held tightly in his hands. He wore a stoic expression, but his emotionless grey eyes were boring into her as if he were trying to x-ray her on the spot. On the woman's other side was another male, dressed in robes of what looked like the finest silk. The fabric of the robes swayed and danced in the flickering light, making the embroidered ivory shimmer like gold. He had soft golden eyes, much like Kish's, and carefully groomed auburn hair that cascaded down to the small of his back in long flowing waves.

After soaking in their appearances, Ichigo glanced around wildly. She was in some sort of room that stretched far in both directions. Long, horizontal windows ran from the floor to the ceiling between stone slab beds that seemed to be covered in some sort of spongy plant, possibly moss. One either side of each of the windows, a small flames slumbered in its torch, casting a dim, but warm glow over the small area.

"She says to be careful. You're not healed yet." Kish translated, snapping Ichigo's focus back to the group of waulrinswi. The woman smiled warmly, bustling around the edge of the bed until she was at Ichigo's other side. She brought her hand up, a hand that was glistening with something alien to Ichigo. On instinct, Ichigo tried to flinch away, sending a fresh ripple of shooting pain through her side. She whimpered, causing the female waulrinswi to pause, her hand outstretched as she said something in low soothing tones.

Ichigo shook her head, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. She couldn't understand her at all.

Kish placed a hand on her good shoulder.

"Relax Ichigo, she's just trying to check your temperature." He reassured her.

Reassured, but still not fully relaxed, Ichigo nodded to the waulrinswi, who smiled and extended her hand the rest of the way to place her palm over Ichigo's forehead. It was an odd sensation as whatever was covering her hand stretched out like small antenna, dancing over the skin of her face like the brush of a butterfly's wing before stretching out like a spider's web, covering her face completely.

Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her breath catching in her throat. Was she going to be suffocated?

She felt Kish squeeze her shoulder again, reassuring her through the silent gesture. Ichigo forced herself to take a breath and relax back into the bed.

The waulrinswi above her had her eyes narrowed in focus as she brushed her hand back and forth over Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo watched her warily through the thin veil of dancing liquid. She couldn't understand what was happening, and that thought alone set her on edge. Her only comfort was that Kish was there next to her.

The waulrinswi above her withdrew her hand with a smile. She said something to Ichigo, who glanced over at Kish for translation.

"She says your temperature seems to be normal." Kish told her before looking over at the other waulrinswi, "Ow caun wu jus simu fruauronj sraunslausirs on huru?"

Ichigo glanced at him quizzically. It was odd to hear him speak in his native tongue.

The one in the robes cast Kish a disapproving glare. Evidently he didn't like something Kish had said or the tone he had used, but never the less, he turned to the warrior and gave him an order. The warrior bowed deeply, then turned and left. Ichigo could hear his armor clanking all the way down the stone corridor.

Ichigo again looked at Kish, her eyes demanding an explanation.

"He's going to get some translators, like the kind Lettuce found on the ship. That way you can understand them and they can understand you."

"Oh, ok." Ichigo replied tiredly, "Kish, what's that smell?"

"You're going to have to be more specific kitten."

"The awful one, and stop calling me that!" Ichigo frowned.

"Oh, launkauju, that's the dressing on your shoulder and ribs. It smells awful but it speeds up the healing process of muscle and bone tissue. That thing did quite a number on you."

"What about my ankle."

"It was sprained, but it's already healed. Just give it a few more days of rest."

"What have they done with Berry's body?"

Kish reached for her hand again, choosing to focus on her fingers instead of her face as he answered.

"Right now Berry's body, and what's left of Tart have been taken underground to a morgue. When you're able to move we'll throw them a proper pyre."

"I see." Ichigo replied.

"There was nothing else you could've done for her." Kish told her softly, "That thing ripped through the base of her heart and punctured her lung. She bled out fast."

"She still suffered." Ichigo murmured.

"I know." Kish said softly, his grip on her hand tightening.

Ichigo looked at him. The two of them were completely ignoring the other visitors at the end of her bed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see them moving about and shuffling around.

"I remember what happened." Kish grimaced.

Ichigo raised her brow in question.

"That night I lost my team. I remember what happened." Kish clarified, "That thing… no… that monster, that's what attacked my team down by the river. It came out of nowhere and slaughtered us. I remember I was badly injured and it had me backed into a tree. It struck me with something here." He touched his stomach, fingers tracing over a smooth expanse of skin that was unblemished.

"You watched your entire team die?" Ichigo asked.

Kish nodded miserably.

"Why are you still alive." Ichigo immediately wished to take back what she had just said. It had come out harder than she'd intended.

"I have no idea. I didn't even remember until tonight, after seeing it again…"

The clanking of armor echoing over the walls alerted the small party of the warrior's return. He walked stiffly back up to the foot of her bed and dropped several of the small earpieces into the robed waulrinswi's hand.

"Iwoll sauru shaus." Kish said icily, standing up to snatch one out of the other's hand. He returned to his seated position next to Ichigo.

"Kish, who are they?" Ichigo asked apprehensively.

"I'd tell you, but they'll probably want to introduce themselves." Kish replied, "Just slip this into your ear and say something out loud so it can lock in on your tongue. Then I'll say something in mine so it knows what you want to translate."

"How did Lettuce get hers to work?" Ichigo muttered, taking the device.

"That was a newer version. The old ones kind of suck." Kish informed her.

"You're kidding right?" Ichigo asked, placing it in her ear. As far as she knew, they had nothing this advanced on Earth.

"Niphu." Kish grinned.

**"Nope."** Came the translated response.

His voice sounded slightly robotic through the translator, but she could understand him in his native tongue!

**"The others have translators on now too. Say something to them in Japanese."**

Ichigo finally focused on the small group at the end of her bed.

"Um, hi." She said lamely.

The one in the silk robes smiled, through it never reached his eyes as he strolled forward to stand next to Kish and stretched out a hand.

**"Mew Ichigo, it is an honor to meet you. I am Genri of house Adatiane."**

Ichigo stared blankly as he paused; a look of expectancy on his rather aged and weathered face. However, as the silence stretched on, it was quickly replaced by a look of annoyance.

**"I take it that Kish has not informed you of who I am."**

**"Must've slipped my mind."** Kish shrugged, picking at her bedding.

**"Indeed."** Genri said with a hint of irritation, **"Any way, as I was saying, I am Genri Adatiane, the ruler of the waulrinswi."**

"I thought Deep Blue was your leader." Ichigo replied after a pause.

**"He was until he was defeated by you and the other Mews in the Battle of the Mew Aqua."** Genri informed her, "**We are a warrior people, Mew Ichigo. We do not follow the weak. Therefore, when you and your team defeated Deep Blue, you left a gap in power. A few things happened here and there, but my late father came into power next. Unfortunately, he is among the casualties coming to this planet has caused."**

**"**I'm sorry for your loss." Ichigo said politely.

**"Thank you Mew Ichigo, you are most kind."** Genri smiled.

Ichigo nodded, before turning her focus to the woman who had been dutifully nursing her.

**"Who are you?" **She asked.

The woman smiled, **"My name is Arnes. Arnes Ikisatashi."**

"Arnes?" Ichigo repeated, mulling the name over in her head. She'd definitely heard it before, "Aren't you –?"

**"Pai's wife, yes."** Kish answered for her.

Ichigo blinked in surprise, staring at the woman. Wasn't she supposed to be in danger? She looked perfectly fine, but if she remembered correctly, Pai had been nearly hysterical when trying to plead with Kish and Tart, trying to explain away his actions. What was going on?

Genri cleared his throat, successfully pulling Ichigo's focus back to him**, "Arnes is our best healer. She has a special ability that allows her to assess and understand the body through controlling liquids. We hope that one of her children will develop a similar gift." **He smiled at Arnes, who blushed at the praise, **"But, continuing on with introductions, this fine warrior is Frikr Daid, my right hand man. The Daid family has served the Adatiane house for over one hundred years."**

Ichigo inclined her head to Frikr in greeting, who responded likewise.

**"And if you're feeling up to it, Mew Ichigo, there are several others who would like the opportunity to make your acquaintance."**

**"Can't that wait?"** Kish snapped, **"She's still healing."**

**"You should know better than to talk to our ruler that way Kish."** Said a new voice. Everyone around the bed turned to look as another female approached. She had long silver hair that reached down to the small of her back and seemed to radiate with light. Stray strands of hair fell into her soft-featured face, highlighting each and every crevice of smooth skin. Like Genri, she too seemed to be dressed in the finest silks, for she was wearing a light lilac colored gown that hugged her figure and trailed on the ground behind her.

**"Lady Sensana."** Ichigo heard Arnes say before the healer dipped into a bow. Frikr followed suit.

**"Lady Sensana."** Genri repeated with a genuine smile.

Ichigo felt Kish stiffen next to her, a disdainful glare plain as the light of day on his face.

**"You must be Mew Ichigo."** Sensana commented, stopping next to Ichigo's bed and turning her to face her, though she wasn't entirely facing her. Sensana's eyes were the same, light lilac as her dress, but with a glassy look over them. It took Ichigo a moment, but it finally occurred to her, Sensana was blind.

"I am." Ichigo responded hesitantly.

**"We have been awaiting your arrival."**

_"Where have I heard the name Sensana before…?"_ Ichigo thought as she stared at the other female, then suddenly, she recalled exactly where. In her mind's eye she could see all of them back on the ship, Pai pleading to Kish, telling him that Sensana saw something, but Kish had interrupted him.

"You were the one who gave the order to retrieve us weren't you?" Ichigo said coldly, her eyes narrowing.

She expected the blind woman to deny it, maybe even push the blame onto someone else, but instead, she merely nodded.

**"Predicting the future can be difficult, but the gods have granted me with the visions. These visions were clear to me. With the sacrifice of yourself and the other Mews, we will be able to safely leave this planet due to the power that lies within your very blood."**

"We have no intention of dying." Ichigo snarled, "And besides, your plan won't work. One of us is already dead." She finished sadly.

**"While Berry Shirayuki's death is a tragic loss, it does not impede our plans."** Sensana said emotionlessly.

**"What?"** Kish exclaimed, leaping up from where he was sitting to glare daggers at the Seer.

Sensana was unfazed by Kish's outburst.

**"Ms. Shirayuki was not among the Mews in my vision."**

"We are not going to be your blood sacrifices." Ichigo repeated coldly, "I'm going to find the rest of my team and we're going to leave. You can clean up your own damn mess."

**"Don't you think we would've done that if we could?" Sensana asked calmly, "We may be a warrior people, but every death is a tragic loss. However, it cannot be avoided in this case. Not when we're faced with an evil as old as time itself."**

At this, the room went silent. Ichigo blinked blankly at Sensana before glancing at Kish in hopes of an explanation, but what she saw made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Kish was as white as a sheet, his eyes wide, and mouth agape. On her other side, Arnes had covered her mouth in horror. Frikr's eyes were slightly wider, and Genri merely looked grim.

**"You can't mean…"** Kish began, the first to find his voice.

**"I do."** Sensana confirmed, turning her sightless eyes upon him, **"What attacked here the other night, and what massacred your team not so long ago was none other than the Waesf Aleurs."**

**"How can this be?"** Arnes asked softly, lowering her quivering hands, **"They've been extinct for over ten thousand years."**

**"Apparently not."** Genri sighed.

"Hang on." Ichigo interrupted, "What's a waffle allure?"

Kish pinched the bridge of his nose, sitting back down heavily.

**"Not a waffle allure, Ichigo, Waesf Aleurs, the strongest, smartest, and most deadly predator the universe has ever given rise to."**

* * *

><p>AN: Well, this certainly took a while to put together XP

A fair warning to all of my readers, the story is only going to continue to get darker. Therefore, phanphan1 has written a story for you all to read if you need a good laugh. Follow this link here s/9246935/1/Sweet-Pumpkin-Pie

Any way, thank you again to everyone who has continued to follow this story despite my lack of updates. I really do appreciate it and hope that you continue to enjoy the story :)


	12. The Legend

Chapter 11

The Legend

"I still don't understand what they are." Ichigo stated, starting to feel like she was missing something big.

"The Waesf Aleurs," Kish began, "Oh where do I start?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"The last Waesf Aleur was seen over ten thousand years ago." Sensana supplied, her blind eyes strangely focused on Ichigo, "According to the legends, they are a rare breed of predator, with cognitive skills that nearly outmatch every species. They learn at a rapid rate, and kill at an even faster one."

"If they're so smart, why'd they go extinct?" Ichigo interjected.

"No one knows." Kish replied, "No one knows anything about them really. From what we know of the legends, one day they just disappeared."

"And there's been no fossil evidence or any trace of them?"

"None."

"Then how are you supposed to fight something you don't know anything about?"

"You don't." Sensana replied, "When the odds are not in your favor you do the natural thing and flee, but the enemy has destroyed every means of escape. Our ships are gone, and the materials used to rebuild them completely demolished. There is only one way."

Ichigo felt something snap in her as white-hot anger pushed her from the bed, throwing her moss coverings into Kish's face.

"Are you deaf as well as blind?" Ichigo roared, stomping around the bed until she was directly in Sensana's face, "We are not going to be your blood sacrifices and I'm taking everyone home!"

"Um, Ichigo…" Kish tried.

"You have no right to keep us here! So if you know what's good for you you'll let the other Mews go now!" She continued to shriek into Sensana's face. The woman was making her blood boil. She hadn't even reacted to Ichigo being within such close proximity to her, nor did she even let on that she was listening to her at all. Ichigo balled her fists at her side, trying to control the urge to punch the living daylights out of the impassive seer before her.

"Ichigo." Kish said again.

"What?" Ichigo snapped, turning around. His face was bright red and he looked like he had the beginning of a nosebleed, "You might want to cover up." He finished, blushing even more deeply.

Ichigo blinked before glancing down. Aside from the dressing on her shoulder and ribs, she was completely nude. She blinked once more before flushing a deep crimson and giving a hair raising shriek as she grabbed at the moss, trying to cover herself.

"Why am I naked?" she yelled, the moss sliding through her fingers.

Something soft and light was draped over her shoulders. Ichigo instantly grasped at the ends and pulled it tightly around herself, thankful that the article covered completely.

"My apologies." Arnes spoke, "It is easier as a healer to work without the restriction of clothing. However, your clothes were caked in blood. We had to cut them off of you in order to treat your injuries. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Er, yes, of course. You did what you had to." Ichigo replied automatically, bowing a little as she pulled the blanket like material around her. It was soft and plush and it radiated heat as if it had been next to a fire all afternoon.

Arnes helped her settle back in the bed, working around her as she continued to grasp the blanket tightly, a feat that proved rather difficult with climbing back onto the moss and settling back down.

"Even if we were to let you go, how do you intend to get back home?" Sensana finally spoke.

Ichigo's back stiffened as she glared at the seer.

"All the ships have been destroyed. The last working one fell apart upon your arrival, and even if there were a ship, you'd have no idea how to operate it, or even navigate it back to Earth. So, Mew Ichigo, I will ask again. How do you intend to get back home?"

"I don't know, but mark my words we will find a way." Ichigo responded coldly.

"I look forward to it." Sensana smirked, "Genri, please have armed guards escorting Mew Ichigo everywhere. It wouldn't do to have our most precious sacrifice escape."

"It will be done Lady Sensana." Genri confirmed, then proceeded to give the order to Frikr to carry out.

"Good." And with that Sensana turned on her heel and left the room, seemingly having no problem finding her way about.

"I can't believe you're so middle-aged as to believe in blood sacrifices!" Ichigo snarled, rounding on Genri.

"Believe me when I tell you it's not my cup of tea." He responded smoothly, walking up to her. He raised a hand, instantly causing Ichigo to flinch backwards.

"Don't touch her!" Kish snarled, leaping onto the hospital bed, just to wrench Genri's hand away.

Irritation snapped across Genri's face. He swiftly ripped his wrist out of Kish's grasp and in the next instant backhanded Kish so hard that he was thrown backwards off the bed, landing in a heap with an angry red mark welling up on the side of his face.

"Kish!" Ichigo and Arnes cried.

"Know your place." Genri snarled in Kish's direction. The younger waulrinswi merely glared daggers at him as he returned to his feet.

"Hmph." Genri scoffed, turning his attention back to Ichigo, "Mew Ichigo, I am only doing what I believe is best for the waulrinswi. You've seen this creature up close, and you've bravely fought against it at great personal risk to yourself and others. If you were in my position, how could you justify to the mothers of our warriors sending them into combat with a creature like that? Please realize that none of us wanted things to end this way."

"That's bullshit!" Kish yelled, stomping back over to them.

"You insolent—!"

"He's right." Ichigo snapped her face set in a hard line of determination, "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to let the rest of the girls go, and we're going to destroy the waffle allures—,"

"Waesf Aleurs before the winter solstice. We will complete the job we originally set out to do."

Genri blinked in surprise for a few moments before a genuine smile graced his features.

"I wish you the best of luck." He stated, before inclining his head to Ichigo, and following Sensana out, Frikr at his heels.

"That guy is such a bastard." Kish seethed, sitting back down with a heavy thump as Arnes helped Ichigo climb back into the bed.

"You were extremely rude Kish." Arnes admonished him, tucking the blanket some more around Ichigo, then covering her back up with the moss.

"Are you ok?" Ichigo asked worriedly, eyeing the angry red mark left on his cheek.

"I'm fine." Kish replied shortly, "More importantly, we need to devise a way to get you and everyone else out of here."

"No, more importantly," Ichigo turned to glare at Arnes, "How can you stand there placidly and allow five people you don't even know to be sacrificed like lambs?"

"Ichigo—," Kish began.

"No! I'm curious! For someone as caring and sweet as you seem to be, how can you justify this?"

Arnes' eyes dropped as her hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt.

"Because I didn't know." Arnes answered softly.

"How could you not have known? You just stood there silently while that bitch told us the entire reason we're here!"

"…It does explain a lot…"

Ichigo glared at her, telling her with her silence to continue.

Arnes let out a long breath. Reaching behind her, she grabbed a small chair and slid it over, seating herself in it.

"I know we have just met, Mew Ichigo—,"

"—Just Ichigo is fine."

"—Ichigo, but I knew nothing of these "sacrifices." I'm just a healer."

"Genri seemed rather favorable of you." Ichigo pointed out.

"Yes, I was quite surprised that Lord Adatiane even knew me…"

"Oh!" Kish exclaimed, slamming a fist into his palm, "I think I'm starting to understand!"

"Understand?" Ichigo repeated, "Understand what?"

But Kish ignored her instead addressing Arnes.

"Did Pai ever seem off?"

"I don't think so." Arnes answered slowly, "He always picked up the kids when he was done at work, helped me make dinner, and…"

Ichigo was silent, watching Arnes as something seemed to dawn on her.

"No… he was more reserved and closed off. Then he left with you and Tart" –Ichigo felt a pang go through her chest at the younger's name—"Then when he returned he was hysterical… He burst through the door as soon as he got back, calling out for me. He sounded so… desperate… I wasn't sure why. He kept asking if the kids and I were alright…"

"I see." Kish sighed.

"See what?" Ichigo asked, though she had a sinking feeling they were sharing the same train of thought.

"Well, I might be going out on a limb here, but I think this will explain everything. Arnes, even on the ship Pai was more closed off and reserved than usual. Out of the three of us, he was the only one told the true reason behind this mission. My guess is that he initially refused, so Genri forced his hand. If Pai didn't complete the mission, I think they were going to do something to you and the kids."

Arnes' large brown eyes widened, her mouth opening into a silent gasp of horror. She stated at Kish for a moment before slowly shaking her head in denial.

"No…no… Lord Adatiane would never do that! He's a fair and just ruler who cares for the wellbeing and survival of his citizens!"

"But Pai would never harm Lettuce." Ichigo said softly.

Kish nodded in agreement.

"This can't be." Arnes repeated, a little more loudly but she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

"It is." Kish said solemnly, "and I think we all know it."

But Arnes shook her head.

"No…" She repeated, her entire form trembling, "I have to believe that Lord Adatiane has our best interests at heart. I have to! If we can't trust our rulers to save us then who can we trust?"

Ichigo fisted her hands in the moss coverings. She didn't have an answer.

"You can start by trusting us." Kish answered softly.

Ichigo and Arnes both looked at him.

"Arnes, I haven't told Pai, and now I'll never be able to tell Tart, but I've gained these abilities. I'm not sure how or why, but they allowed me to fight on par with that Waesf Aleur. If I can harness those abilities, and with the help of the Mews, we may actually be able to defeat them."

Ichigo gulped, vividly recalling the battle scene where she had been able to do nothing more than be thrown around like a ragdoll. She had sounded so confident when she claimed that her and the Mews would destroy the Waesf Aleurs, but looking back, she was beginning to have doubts. Kish had single-handedly taken down that creature, not her. All she had provided was suitable distraction, and she had barely survived the experience. How could she possibly survive going against more?

Arnes seemed to be equally as doubtful.

"But Kish," she said, "you're just one waulrinswi."

"Yeah, but I'm one damn sexy one." Kish grinned cheekily.

Ichigo cracked a smile, but Arnes was still gripping her skirts.

"Why don't you go home to Pai and the kids?" Kish suggested softly.

"No, I need to make sure Ichigo's ok." Arnes replied flatly.

"I'm fine." Ichigo replied.

"No, I don't trust this one to not jump you in your sleep."

"I'm not going to jump her in her sleep!" Kish cried indignantly, though a deep blush dusted his cheeks.

"Right." Arnes agreed sarcastically, "Well, before I do anything else, Ichigo, how about I find you some clothes?"

"I'd appreciate that." Ichigo replied, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, now keenly aware of Kish's lecherous eyes.

"I'll be right back." Arnes said softly, "Don't do anything." She directed sternly at Kish.

"I'm not going to!" Kish yelled after her.

Ichigo felt his eyes return to her.

"Are you doing ok?" He asked.

"I'm sore and I'm scared." Ichigo answered honestly.

"Me too." Kish admitted, "But I promise I won't let anything happen to you." He reached towards her, but Ichigo batted his hand away.

"I don't need empty assurances Kish. Like I told Genri, we will complete what we came here to do. We will destroy the Waesf Aleurs, but…" She trailed off with a sigh.

"—But?"

"I don't even know where to begin. We don't know anything about them."

"Neither do we." Kish sighed, but Ichigo shook her head before turning her head to meet his eyes.

"There's something you do know. Tell me the legends."

"I don't know Ichigo." Kish began uncomfortably, "You're in the Healer's Wing. Maybe you should rest first."

"Now is as good a time as any." Ichigo argued.

"The legends aren't exactly pretty." Kish grimaced.

"I was able to work that part out for myself thanks."

"Ichigo, I really don't think now is the time—,"

"Kish, I just held Berry in my arms while she died because of that monster! When is a good time? When it's Mint? Lettuce? Pudding? Zakuro? I need to know what we're up against!" Ichigo cried, fresh tears peeking out of the corners of her eyes.

Kish reached forward silently and grabbed her hand. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the scraped and scarred surface before entwining his fingers with hers.

"It's not something any of us waulrinswi like to talk about." He said softly, not meeting her eyes, "But when I was really young, our mother used to tell us the legend of the Waesf Aleurs. Over ten thousand years ago, our people spoke of the Waesf Aleur. Not much was said about them other than that they were shadow killers. For a long time our people even feared the night. It was impossible to tell if a shadow was just a mere shadow or the last thing you'd ever see. Any way, these things were said to be extremely adaptable, hunting our kind to any environment. Deserts, forests, tundra, you name it. The strange thing is though, one day they just disappeared."

"How?" Ichigo interrupted. It didn't make sense. How could such a successful predator just disappear?

"No one knows." Kish replied, "No one has even seen one until today."

"And none of the old legends hold any hints?"

"I vaguely remember something about a cavern."

"A cavern?"

"Yeah, but it never made much sense to me so I never paid much attention." Kish answered honestly.

"Cavern…" Ichigo mused, mulling over the word in her brain in a desperate attempt to find the connection. Unsurprisingly, she was drawing a blank.

"What do the legends mention about a cavern?"

Kish thought for a moment before replying, 'I think something about them being birthed or rising from a cavern."

"So they're born in some sort of cave?"

Kish shrugged, "Possibly."

The soft padding of footsteps on the stone floor interrupted them. They looked up to see Arnes returning with a neat pile of folded clothing carried in her arms.

"I found a few articles of clothing to give you to try on." Arnes said when she reached them, setting the pile down in Ichigo's lap, "Would you like to try them on?"

Ichigo nodded wordlessly.

"Alright, Kish, please leave us for a minute."

Kish looked like he was about to protest, but then just nodded, got up, and started walking away.

"Don't you dare peek!" Arnes shouted after him.

Kish waved back at her lazily, "Don't worry, I already got to see her naked today."

Ichigo's face turned beet red. She grabbed a fist full of moss and chucked it after him, ignoring the pain from her broken rib. She completely missed, sending Kish into peals of laughter.

"The nerve of him." Ichigo fumed as Arnes stifled a laugh.

"Indeed, you have quite an arm. Do you need any help getting up?"

"No, I think I'm fine. I was able to get in Sensana's face earlier any way."

"Fueled by emotion, yes, but your body is still healing."

"I'm fine." Ichigo said again, setting the clothes off to one side then swinging her legs over the other.

Arnes hovered over her like a mother hen as her toes brushed the floor. Weird, she hadn't noticed how warm a stone floor could be.

Being careful not to jostle her rib and shoulder, Ichigo slowly pushed herself to her feet. She gasped in pain as her ankle protested against the sudden weight.

"Told you." Arnes chided, catching her and helping her sit back down.

"It wasn't that painful earlier." Ichigo protested bitterly.

"You may have agitated it again when you were standing on it."

Ichigo didn't reply as Arnes slid the blanket from her shoulders. She reached over, unfolding the first piece of clothing, a simple brown shirt.

"Lift your arms a little, if you can." Arnes instructed.

Ichigo did as she was told, expecting her shoulder to be the worst since it had shattered, but to her surprise, it only felt stiff. Arnes guided her arms through the long sleeves, being extra careful as she pulled it over her left shoulder. Gently, Arnes then guided her head through the hole at the top.

"Do you not have bras here?" Ichigo asked.

"Have what?"

"Bras?"

Arnes merely continued to look confused.

"It's an article of clothing that um, supports breasts." Ichigo explained uncomfortably.

"That sounds uncomfortable." Arnes replied.

"I'll take that as you don't." Ichigo sighed.

"It would help healing if you don't have anything obscuring your ribs."

"What about the bandages?"

"They're removable."

"So are bras."

"They are?"

An awkward silence fell between the two of them.

"I can try to find something that'll work if it will make you feel better." Arnes offered.

"Can we just use extra bandaging when we rewrap my ribs?" Ichigo suggested.

"Yes, I can do that." Arnes nodded.

"Ok." Ichigo reached behind herself, grabbing the rest of the pile and setting it next to her.

Arnes lifted the next article of clothing, a small pair of faded, drawstring, blue pants. She knelt down carefully before Ichigo, starting with her bad ankle, she gently slipped her foot and ankle through one of the pant legs, did the same with the other, then passed the waist-line up to Ichigo to finish pulling the pants up. Ichigo struggled a bit, but was able to pull the clothing over her hips, then tying the drawstring so that the pants fit snuggly over her slender hips.

"What's the rest?" Ichigo inquired.

"A cloak." Arnes replied, unfolding the last article. It was a simple brown piece that looked long enough to brush her ankles with a small clasp to hold it together. Arnes refolded the cloak and set it back on the bed, "You won't need it right now, but I figured, if you get cold…"

Ichigo nodded.

"Would you mind lying back? I'd like to relook at your ankle."

Ichigo nodded again, gingerly lifting her legs back up onto the bed, and using her good shoulder to lower herself back down. She hissed in pain as everything immediately began to hurt anew.

Arnes' gentle fingers brushed her pant leg back and her cool palms rested against the inflamed area of her ankle. Ichigo glanced over at her as Arnes closed her eyes, her hands glowing.

"Yes, you definitely agitated it." Arnes murmured, though Ichigo couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or to her, "Ok, it's going to be unbearably hot for a minute, but stick with me." She instructed.

Ichigo felt her ankle heat up, followed by an odd sensation that felt like her muscles and tendons were being extended and flexed before settling. Ichigo gasped at the sudden heat. It felt like heated metal was being pushed in and out of every tissue. Ichigo's gasp turned into a drawn out whimper as the heat only intensified, but then it was gone.

Ichigo sighed, bringing up her good arm to wipe her brow.

"Ok, try flexing and extending on your own."

Ichigo lifted her leg, twirling her ankle. To her amazement, her ankle didn't hurt at all.

"How?" She asked in amazement.

"My special ability." Arnes smiled, shifting her weight slightly, "How's your shoulder?"

"It only feels stiff." Ichigo replied.

"That's great!" Arnes exclaimed, a broad smile gracing her kind features.

"What did you do?"

"It was the first thing I worked on. It was badly shattered so I spent hours piecing the bone back together. I think I was able to get everything, but it's still weak. Now it's up to your puroissuem—."

"My what?" Ichigo interrupted.

"Puroissuem, it's our word for the connective tissue membrane that covers your bones. Do you have another word for it on Earth?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't know anatomy." Ichigo replied sheepishly. She wished Berry were here. Berry probably would've known what Arnes was talking about…

"Oh, ok, well, it's this tissue on your bone that will develop into shulnsufrerdr and urdaufrerdr, which will help rebuild the bone. With daily treatments I can try to speed this process up, but as you experienced with your ankle, it can be painful."

"Do it." Ichigo said immediately, though she didn't understand any of the terminology Arnes had just used.

"What will be best for it is just rest." Arnes interjected.

"I don't have time." Ichigo sighed, "I need to destroy the Waesf Aleurs, rescue the other Mews, and get everyone back home to earth safely."

"Ichigo…" Arnes began.

"What do you know about the Waesf Aleurs?" Ichigo interrupted.

"Just the legend." Arnes replied, allowing the swift change in conversation.

"What do you know about a cavern?"

"Have you talked about this with Kish?"

"Yeah, but he didn't say much."

"We don't know much." Arnes said apologetically.

"Do you remember anything about a cavern? Kish mentioned remembering something about a cavern."

"Not from the legends specifically. I remember hearing about a cavern from an old family prayer though."

"Prayer?" Ichigo repeated.

"I don't think it will give you anything to go off of though."

"May I hear it?" Ichigo interjected.

Arnes sat down next to her on the edge of the bed, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"To the Gods,

To our ancestors,

To the spirits that watch over us,

Please hear my prayer.

Keep the beast within its cavern.

Protect innocents with your divine guidance.

Keep it away.

We humbly beseech you.

Allow our future generations to grow older,

To live under the warmth of the sun.

Keep it away,

Locked within its cavern.

Oh please keep it away

The Waesf Aleurs."

Ichigo sat quietly for a moment, trying to mull over the words in her head. Arnes was right. She really hadn't gleamed any new information from it.

"Can you repeat it?" She asked any way.

Arnes repeated the prayer.

"You say locked within its cavern. Is that possible?" She asked after listening for a second time.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. A cavern could mean a lot of things, a cave, a cell…"

"Why is that an old family prayer?"

"It's been passed down for generations. My mother said it over my bed every night as my grandmother did for her and so on." Arnes replied.

"Do you say it over your kids' beds?"

"Every night."

"But why? If what everyone is saying is true, the Waesf Aleurs haven't been seen for over ten thousand years. Why pray for protection against something that presumably posed no threat?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Arnes sighed, "But ever since coming here, I feel like it's the only prayer I know to ask for the safety of my family. Tradition dies hard I suppose. Hearing the prayer used to make me feel safe, like a higher power would make sure I woke up to see the next day. I just wanted that for my kids as well."

"Are you dressed yet?" Kish called.

"Yes Kish!" Ichigo yelled, rolling her eyes.

"Geez, you take forever!" He complained, strolling back into the infirmary.

"And you have zero patience." Arnes smirked.

"Yeah, well, Pai's here with the kids. He brought you dinner."

"Oh!" Arnes exclaimed jumping up from Ichigo's bed and running out.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked Kish. She had picked up on the false cheeriness of his voice.

"What? Nothing! I'm fine!" Kish replied a little to quickly.

"Kish." Ichigo said sternly.

"Not now." Kish replied firmly, avoiding her eyes as Arnes stepped back into their line of sight with a small bundle in her arms, followed by Pai and another young child who rode on his shoulders.

Ichigo nearly gasped when she saw Pai. She'd never seen him look so awful. Despite the distance between them, she could see dark shadows under his eyes, as well as a red tint, telling her they were bloodshot. He had lost a considerable amount of weight. Once strong, warrior arms, were deathly thin and frail. They looked like they could snap like a twig, not to mention his usual clothing now hung from his frail frame like he was trying to wrap himself in a tent. His usual hair was gone too. The tied portion he had kept over his left ear was gone, completely shorn off, leaving an irregular chopped area in his usually well-kept hair. There was also a long scar that ran from one cheek to the other, directly over the bridge of his nose.

"Hey Ichigo." Pai said softly, stopping at the foot of her bed as Arnes moved to occupy another, shrugging off the top of her dress with one arm. Pai was avoiding looking at her, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." Ichigo responded flatly. She was torn. She couldn't decide if she was pissed or sorry for him. Despite all he'd put them through, he looked as if he was suffering as well.

"I'm glad to hear."

An awkward silence passed between the three of them. Kish was refusing to look at Pai as much as Pai was refusing to look at the two of them.

"Dadda! Dadda!" The child on Pai's shoulders exclaimed, tugging at his ears.

"Who's this?" Ichigo asked, trying to break the ice.

Pai glanced at her before reaching up and picking the toddler off his shoulders and bringing him down to cradle him in his arms for Ichigo to see.

The kid had jet-black hair with soft brown eyes that looked startlingly like his mother's. He had a small button nose, a strong jaw line, and to Ichigo's surprise, small ears that were close to his head, but pointed at the tips.

"This is Kou. According to Earth years, he'd be four." Pai introduced.

Kou stared at Ichigo from Pai's arms, his large brown eyes looking her up and down as if he were appraising her. Cocking his head, he reached for her with small, delicate fingers.

Ichigo reached out her hand, brushing it against his. Kou broke into a large grin, grasping at her hand like he was determined to pull her out of the bed to him.

"Kou, this is Ichigo." Pai finished his introduction.

Kou looked up curiously at Pai, his fingers clenched as tightly as he could around Ichigo's thumb.

"Ichigo." Pai repeated, a soft loving smile on his face, "Can you say Ichigo?"

Kou opened his mouth like he was going to try to say her name, only to give a loud squeal of delight as he bounced around in his father's arm, letting go of Ichigo's thumb to cover his face with his hands.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Kou was adorable.

"Kisshu!" Kou suddenly exclaimed, suddenly reaching for Kish.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as the silence returned, Kou reaching for Kish, completely oblivious of the tension between the two waulrinswi.

Finally, Kish broke out in a grin, stepping forward and lifting him out of Pai's arms. Pai seemed reluctant at first, but he conceded, allowing Kish to hold his son.

"You've gotten bigger since I left." Kish told Kou, holding him at arms length, "Have you been behaving for your mother?"

"No." Kou replied, tucking his head as his face lit up with a bright smile. He had such tiny little teeth.

"No?" Kish repeated in surprise, "Why you little—," He brought Kou down, giving him a large raspberry, causing the toddler to shriek with laughter.

The baby began wailing loudly.

"Kou keep it down!" Arnes exclaimed, trying to rock her second child. Her breast was hanging out from her dress. They'd accidently interrupted the youngest in the middle of nursing, and now he was practically howling. All Ichigo could see were two tiny fists that were waving above his bundle of blankets.

"Sowwy Mommy." Kou apologized, his head drooping against Kish's shoulder when he was repositioned to Kish's hip.

Arnes looked like she wanted to apologize to Kou for snapping at him, but the baby's wailing only seemed to get louder.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back." She said quickly, gathering the infant tighter in her arms and rushing out of the room.

"Hey, you're not in trouble. Mommy just doesn't want Annon bawling in here." Pai said softly, moving closer to Kish to rustle his son's hair. However, Kish's grip tightened around Kou and he stepped back, still not looking at Pai.

"Kish, there's only so many times I can apologize." Pai sighed, looking pained.

"Tell that to Tart and Berry!" Kish stated tensely, then looked ashamed of himself as Pai seemed to deflate.

"I do every night." Pai barely whispered, "I wish I could take it all back… that there had been another way…"

"There was! It's called not betraying your friends and family!" Kish snarled, still trying to keep his voice low so as not to upset Kou, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"I was trying to protect my family!" Pai yelled back, his entire form trembling.

"Well you didn't succeed did you? Your own flesh and blood died in the end!" Kish finally screamed, unleashing all the bottled up emotions he had tried to surpress.

"Kish!" Ichigo tried to interject. Kou's bottom lip was trembling as he looked back and forth between Kish and Pai.

"I know!" Pai screamed, "And I hate myself for it!"

"As well you should!"

"Stop yelling at Dadda!" Kou cried, a small fist landing in the same place Genri had struck earlier.

Kish flinched, biting his lip to avoid hissing in pain.

Pai pulled Kou back out of Kish's arms, cradling the small boy as he gently kissed his forehead, "Shhhh, Kou, it's ok."

"I see Tart's face every time I close my eyes. I hear his laughter in the wind, and feel his presence in the plants." Pai addressed Kish softly, looking on the verge of tears, "I tried so hard to protect everyone I care about, but you're right. I still failed in the end."

Kish wiped angrily at the corners of his eyes. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"As much as I want to hate you." He finally stated, opening his eyes, "I just can't."

Pai didn't react, merely cradling Kou to his chest.

"But I need you to be honest with me." Kish continued, taking another deep breath to calm himself, "What really happened? I have a vague idea, but I want to hear it from you."

Pai shook his head.

"I can't. I'm sorry Kish, but I can't tell you."

"Is it because of the guards?" Ichigo asked in a low whisper, hoping they wouldn't hear her.

Pai stiffened, hesitating before nodding.

Kish rolled his eyes before suddenly vanishing.

"What the—?" Pai exclaimed in surprise.

"Where'd Kisshu go?" Kou asked, wide eyed before they heard a series of large thumps. Kish reappeared before them seconds later.

"Do it again!" Kou cheered, clapping his hands.

"What did you do?" Pai demanded, his eyes wide with fear.

"Nothing, the guards are just taking a little nap." Kish reassured him, "No one will over hear us."

Pai was still gaping at Kish like he'd seen a ghost.

"What happened Pai?" Kish asked impatiently.

"Hold on, let me grab Arnes. She has a right to know." Pai stalled, turning around and heading out of the infirmary. He returned a few minutes later with Arnes in tow, Annon fast asleep in her arms and her dress redone. He pulled out a chair for her, then pulled another one over for himself. Kish sat down next to Ichigo, his eyes trained on Pai expectantly.

"It's a long story." Pai began.

* * *

><p>AN: Here's the edited chapter. If you've already read, don't worry about reading it again. I was just fixing up little errors that were here and there.


	13. Pai's Tale

Chapter 12

Pai's Tale

"Where to begin?" Pai sighed, running his hand through his unkempt hair.

"How about when you left earth with the Mew Aqua?" Ichigo suggested, "We gave it to you to help your dying planet, but apparently that didn't happen."

"Right." Pai nodded, "Ok, well we left to return to our planet after the unfortunate battle between us and the rise and fall of Deep Blue."

"Most of our trip home was focused on drafting what we would say to our leaders." Kish supplied, apparently not going to allow Pai to tell the whole story, "We failed on many accounts. We hadn't secured earth for our people, nor had we been able to bring Deep Blue back. The only token we had for any form of success was the Mew Aqua, but none of us knew how it worked."

"Wait, leaders?" Ichigo interrupted, "I thought Deep Blue was your leader."

"We have an interesting government system compared to what you're accustomed to. For the most part, we have a Council of Elders who guide and make the decisions for us during calmer times. We have a _shoarloa_ who acts as the check and balancer to this system, and ultimately calls the shots. Then, we have the royal family. Deep Blue was a part of this family, and in times of danger or need, the royal family takes charge, otherwise they just act as a figurehead. Again, it is the _shoarloa_ who determines when their intervention and guidance is needed."

"So how exactly did Deep Blue wind up on Earth in…M…Masaya?" Ichigo asked haltingly. She practically had to fight the lump in her throat to get his name out.

"Papa whose 'Saya?" Kou asked, tugging on Pai's shirt.

"A very brave warrior." Pai answered.

Ichigo schooled her face in attempt to not let her mouth hang open. She'd never heard Pai praise anyone, much less someone from Earth. Ok, he praised Lettuce here and there, but that was because they all thought he had a small crush on her.

"That's a story for another time." Kish stated dismissively.

Ichigo frowned at him but Pai nodded in agreement.

"Any way, we were trying to figure out how the Mew Aqua worked. We tried finding some sort of opening, blasting it with magic, allowing magic to flow through it, but nothing seemed to work."

"Tart was the one who figured it out." Kish continued, cutting Pai off in the process, "The kid always loved puzzles."

"Dadda where's Tartuo?" Kou suddenly asked, effectively bringing the entire story to a halt. Kish turned away biting his lip. Ichigo reached out and squeezed his hand as she felt on the verge of tears. Pai merely stared blankly down at his son, mouth gaping like a fish out of water. Arnes sighed.

"He's gone baby." She told him softly.

Kou blinked at her with wide, uncomprehending eyes, "Where he go?"

"To become a _jeaurkoaun_." Arnes explained, "So that he can watch over and protect us all."

"Arnes." Pai said quietly, "Perhaps we should put the children to bed. They don't need to hear this."

"I'm not tired!" Kou protested.

"Even brave warriors need their sleep." Kish spoke up, though his voice was strained.

"But—!"

"Come Kou." Arnes said softly, interrupting his protests, "Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Kish and Ichigo alone."

Pouting slightly, Kou climbed out of Pai's lap, and went over to Arnes as she stood, shifting Annon in her arms.

"I'll be back as soon as they're sleeping." Arnes promised, before leading Kou out of the room.

Pai groaned, scratching the back of his neck.

Kish shifted uncomfortably before sitting down on the bed next to Ichigo.

"So Tart figured out how to use the Mew Aqua. He was just messing around with it when suddenly it burst open. It was like looking at a hologram, but at the same time it wasn't. An entire galaxy was revealed, just floating around the area of the ship, shimmering almost like water, but as thin and light as air. The strangest part was that it seemed to know what we needed long before we even knew what we were looking for."

Ichigo furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I understand your confusion. We didn't know what to make of it either." Pai continued, "Here we were, trying to figure out this magical artifact to fix our dying planet, but it wasn't even giving us any clues how to work it. Instead, it continuously zoomed onto a planet. This planet.

"Well, the whole trip we couldn't make heads or tails of it. We spent months puzzling over what it could mean, but we couldn't figure it out. We returned to our planet, still unsure about what to say as the day we'd left earth, no closer to even being able to explain the strange workings of the Mew Aqua—."

"You're repeating yourself." Kish pointed out with a huff.

"Sorry." Pai apologized.

"What happened when you got back?" Ichigo asked.

"Chaos." Pai and Kish said simultaneously.

"It was all such a mess." Pai continued alone, "We got back, and the torrential weather caused us to have an extremely rocky landing."

"We only managed not to crash because Tart was able to summon a large number of vines to cushion our landing." Kish added.

"Yeah, we landed quite a ways from the landing dock. Instead of trying to brave the weather we teleported back to base with the Mew Aqua. Despite all of us wanting to rest, we immediately went to Keenah, a member of the Council of Elders, and a close friend of our father's.

"He was overjoyed to see us back. He invited us into his home, which for all the waulrinswi at the time was a simple, one-roomed abode carved into the rock walls with a fire at its center."

"I thought the waulrinswi were far more advanced than us lowly humans." Ichigo interrupted, recalling the books Kish had read her about the history of the waulrinswi.

"Were. All that's left to attest for our once great nation is what's been destroyed on the ships." Kish replied, "We've basically restarted from scratch, except for small objects such as the translators we're currently using."

"Any way, Keenah invited us in, and he and his wife served us the first warm meal we'd had in years. We mostly ate in silence around the fire, just eating and enjoying each other's company. When we'd finished, Keenah asked us to tell him about our adventures on Earth. Kish went first since he'd been there the longest, but all he could talk about was…" Pai suddenly trailed off, looking past Ichigo at Kish. Ichigo glanced at Kish out of the corner of her eye, but his expression was unreadable.

"…Japan." Pai said hastily.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what Pai was going to say. While Kish had been alone on Earth, his focus had not been on his mission, and it most certainly hadn't been on Japan. No, the object of his attention had been solely tormenting her and Masaya, sometimes even the other Mews.

"Right." Ichigo said sarcastically, sending Kish a look, which told him that she knew exactly what Pai was going to say.

Pai's lips twitched upward as Kish's face colored up.

"After talking about the pleasantries of our trip, we finally got to the matter at heart, our mission. Keenah took our failure well. He didn't scold us, or get angry when he learned that we had failed to secure Earth. He was visibly saddened when we told him about Deep Blue's demise though."

"I got scolded." Kish reminded Pai.

"You raised your blade against your king." Pai pointed out.

"In the name of love." Kish argued.

Ichigo groaned loudly at this, "Can we get back to the story?" She pleaded.

"Yeah. We told Keenah about the battle with Deep Blue, how the Mew Aqua suddenly appeared and how its power was able to give the Mews the upper hand and defeat Deep Blue, and then, how you gave it to us."

"I think Tart was asleep by that point." Kish said fondly.

"He was, I remember Jaiz had tucked him in with a blanket. We had to wake him up to talk about the Mew Aqua. He was still the only one that could work it. Again, Tart was able to bring forth the projection of the galaxy and show Keenah everything we'd been able to see. I'd been hoping he could shed some light on this mystery, but he was just as stumped as we were. We spent hours bouncing around ideas. Did it mean the cure for our planet could be found on another? Was there another magical artifact that needed to be coupled with the Mew Aqua in order for it to work? We just didn't know. Finally, Keenah insisted that we get our rest.

"The next morning he sent word to the rest of the Council of Elders that we had returned and that consultation was needed immediately. We met with the entire council of twelve in our _ghmooa hoarr_."

Ichigo tapped the translator in her ear. Had it suddenly stopped working?

"Is something wrong?" Kish questioned.

"I think it just stopped working." Ichigo answered, "I'm not understanding your words."

"Not all of our words have a direct translation." Kish pointed out, "What was the most recent thing you understood?"

"Pai said something about meeting with the twelve elders, but I didn't catch where."

"The ghmooa hoarr?"

"Yeah, that's not coming out Japanese. What is that?"

"Basically just a large meeting hall of sorts. We used it for court, village meetings, etc." Kish explained, "The translator's not shorting out. There's just no direct translation. We're still speaking our language, even now."

"Ichigo nodded, "Sorry Pai, continue."

"We met with the council. We were immediately asked to go over every detail of our mission. They were not very happy to say the least. They were especially displeased with Kish, something about spending too much time frolicking with earthlings than focusing on his mission, and that we lost Earth and Deep Blue because of it."

"I was punished with two years of community service." Kish scowled.

"It could've been worse." Pai replied, "You were lucky you weren't sentenced to death for treason." While meant to sound reprimanding, his tone came out more hollow than anything else.

"Community service might as well be a death sentence." Kish argued before clarifying for Ichigo, "Community service means you have to do the jobs only the stupidly brave sign up for. Amongst the waulrinswi, this is the Scouting Platoon. Their job is to scout uncharted territory and report back to the higher ups what has been found. That's how I wound up being apart of the scouting mission when we first came here."

"Any way," Pai cut in, "The council then asked Tart to show them the Mew Aqua. He brought out the artifact and opened it, showing the council everything that had been baffling us. They spent a while debating about it before deciding that it would be best to consult the _shoarloa_."

"Wise one." Kish translated when the word was lost on Ichigo, "We always have one who is born as soon as the last one dies. They're gifted with wisdom and knowledge that exceeds the rest of us."

"The _shoarloa_ at the time was Jaeshah. She was a very old and shriveled looking woman with hair as white as snow. She only had one arm; the other never developed.

"Jaeshah came into the _ghmooa hoarr_ and studied the image as well. At times she would raise her hand and run it through the image, and it would shimmer and flow as if it were a stream, bringing her to this planet. After studying the image for over an hour, she told us that the Mew Aqua was indeed working, just not in the way we expected. She told us that the Mew Aqua was giving us the answer to our problem. What had happened to our once serene planet could not be undone. It was no longer able to sustain our people. Instead, the Mew Aqua was providing us with a map, through the galaxy and to a new place to call home. She told the Council of Elders that the best choice of action would be to use the resources and talents we had to get the dormant ships up and running. It would be a long journey, but the Mew Aqua was taking us home.

"All of the best engineers were assigned to the ships, and they worked day and night. More importantly, our morale seemed to have increased tenfold."

"There was actually laughter, music, and dancing." Kish recalled.

"And we were hailed as heroes." Pai commented.

"Kou was born around that time and Tart got his first kiss. He was disappointed because it wasn't Pudding though."

Ichigo smiled, almost able to imagine those happy times for the waulrinswi.

"Those were wonderful days." Pai sighed. Kish nodded in agreement.

"What happened next?" Ichigo inquired.

The first ships that were fixed up were the scouting ships." Kish continued, "Scientists, explorers, and those with community service were the first to leave. About a hundred others and me left first. Our mission was to scout out the planet and report back to the community every little detail we gathered.

"It took a few months to get there, and as you saw, we recorded what we saw of the flirau and fauenau, the oxygen content of the air, quality of the soil, etc. As you can probably deduce, the planet, at the time, was deemed safe."

"By the time we heard back from the Scouting Platoon, the rest of the ships had been rebuilt and were fully functioning. It took less than a day to get the entire population on board; then the ships took off. We left behind that dying planet, but something else was lost that day."

"And this begins the part I don't know." Kish guessed.

Pai nodded, "While you were you were on _Sorqoseum Promas_ a massacre took place on the ships."

"A massacre?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yeah, the first one actually happened during the take off, but it was ruled by _aueshirosous_ as accidental."

"Aueshirosous?" Ichigo repeated when the translator did not provide her with a direct translation.

"I believe on your planet they're called policemen?" Pai answered.

"Oh ok."

"Aueshirosous ruled the death as accidental." Pai continued.

"What actually happened?" Kish interrupted.

"I'm getting there. Kish, do you remember Dorro?"

"Tart's friend? The stringy kid with blue hair?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"His father was the one who reengineered the ships."

"Ok."

"He was the one who died. As far as I understand, he was helping his father make sure everything was running smoothly during take off when somehow an escape hatch broke and he was pulled out into space."

Ichigo cringed. She'd heard stories of astronauts who had been stuck in space. About how cold and dark it was, but they at least had the benefit of a space suit and oxygen for protection. This boy had nothing. She couldn't even begin to fathom what he went through. Had it been painful? Slow and agonizing? Or was it quick and relatively painless? She honestly knew nothing about space despite being one of the few people on Earth to ever actually meet an alien.

"Did he suffer?" Kish asked for her.

"Probably not. He had no protective suit on. If anything he probably froze instantly and exploded."

"That sounds awful!" Ichigo interjected.

"It is, but it was quick and painless." Pai reassured her.

"How would you know that?" Ichigo challenged.

"One, we weren't close enough to a heat source, so his body fluids would've frozen almost immediately, then the change in pressure would cause everything to expand, causing possible—."

Ichigo clamped her hands over her ears.

"I don't want to hear it!"

"You asked." Kish pointed out.

"It's too awful to think about!"

Kish rolled his eyes and gestured for Pai to continue.

"Dorro's father was in hysterics when he died." Pai continued, "He told anyone who would listen that his son knew these planes like the back of his hand. There was no way he would suddenly just disappear out an escape hatch, not to mention everything on the planes had been triple checked by him personally. None of the escape hatches were broken. Well, a week later, he turned up dead. His body was found hanging from one of the rafters, but the cause of death had been _Asralais_."

Ichigo sent him a questioning look.

"It's a really deadly poison that rips through the nervous system within less than a minute, causing excruciating pain at the same time as instilling blinding fear. It's—,"

"—A really awful, horrible way to die." Arnes finished, striding back into the room.

"Kids?" Pai asked.

"Both sound asleep." Arnes assured him, sitting back down, "Kou was really scared. He told me he could hear the entire battle with the Waesf Aleur from here."

"You reassured him that it's dead and can't hurt him?" Kish asked.

"Of course I did, but we've been living under the threat of these creatures for almost a year now. He's a bright kid, but his brain runs a mile a minute. I had to give him _Nairhd_ just for him to fall asleep."

"Sleeping agent." Kish told Ichigo.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted your story." Arnes said.

"You didn't." Pai replied.

"After that there was a string of murders, all of whom were from the Council of Elders. Seven of them were killed with Asralais. I believe whoever the culprit was spiked their evening supper with it. Others had a more gruesome fate. Draker's body was found stuffed unceremoniously in a vent, his throat slashed from ear to ear. Fro'us was drowned in his private bath. Id'trilli was shoved through a generator fan, her body was unrecognizable, and Idaizin suddenly disappeared. Her body is probably somewhere at large in outer space."

"And no one had any suspects by this point?" Kish asked in disbelief.

"Oh no, they had two suspects." Pai said darkly, "Me and Tart."

"How on Earth did they come to that conclusion?" Ichigo asked at the same time Kish asked, "What evidence did they have for that?"

"The council members who had died from Asralais were all murdered during sleeping hours and their doors were locked from the inside."

"That still doesn't—," Kish began.

"—Let me finish." Pai replied, holding up a hand, "The two of us were the main suspects because apparently we had the most reason to want them dead due to what they'd done to us."

"What did they do to you and Tart?" Ichigo asked. She'd only heard about Kish's punishment.

"I was stripped of my honors as a war general, and my pay was cut significantly. Tart was also sentenced to one year of community service but was decreed to young to go with the Scouting Platoon. Therefore, he was tasked with odd jobs around the community and forbidden from using any of his powers during that time."

"That doesn't sound to bad…" Ichigo commented.

"You don't know our culture." Pai sighed but didn't elaborate, "They suspected Tart because of his ability to summon and control plants at will. What easier way to get through a locked door than to manipulate _Phiosin_ through the cracks of the door and slip it into their mouths as they slept?"

"_Phiosin?_" Ichigo questioned.

"It's the plant _Asralais_ is made from." Arnes explained.

"They suspected me." Pai continued, "Because Tart and I are brothers. Hell, you were even accused Kish." Kish raised a brow quizzically, "One accusation stated that you sent the two of us detailed instructions on how to carry out each and every murder."

"Right, cause that makes total sense with me on an entirely different planet." Kish replied flatly.

Pai nodded in agreement.

"With the death of all the Council of Elders, the ships erupted in anarchy. The noble families were warring amongst themselves to gain power. It wasn't uncommon to hear that several bodies had been found. When brute strength didn't seem to be working in their favor, they tried appealing to the quaking masses. They promised to have Tart and I executed for our crimes, some going as far to say that they would have us suffer beyond what the Elders had suffered. Unfortunately the masses bought it. Tart and I couldn't go on with our daily lives with out being spat at, kicked, or even beaten for the sick pleasure of others. Eventually the few friends we had refused to let us be alone, and even talked some guards into protecting us. Then, Genri came along. I don't know how he did it, but he was able to calm the masses with his presence, and he even reached out to Tart and I, declaring that we were now under the Adatiane Family's protection. He told the masses they could not accuse us with out providing evidence.

"I don't know how else to put it Kish. He saved us. He brought the outbreak of anarchy under control, and for the bravery and leadership she showed, the shoarloa announced him the new king of the waulrinswi, though he hasn't had his official coronation yet."

"No wonder he's more of a pompous ass." Kish muttered under his breath.

Pai pretended he didn't hear him, "He was the first king to be appointed outside of the Deep Blue Family line in centuries."

"So if he was so good to you, why do you fear him now?" Ichigo inquired.

"Because as soon as we touched down, he started conversing more and more with Sensana." Pai said, his face contorting into a scowl, "That vile woman hung around him day and night whispering poison into his ears; showing him images in the water that only she could see. They could've sent anyone to retrieve you Mews, but oh no, it had to be Tart, Kish, and me.

"After days of living like nomads in fear of the Waesf Aleurs, they called me into Genri's quarters where he and Sensana told me to get a ship prepared and to head back to Earth. They told me my mission was to apprehend the Mews and to bring you back at whatever cost, for it was of great importance to our people. I told them I didn't understand and Sensana beckoned me closer to a pool of water that was at the back of the room. She told me, _" While I may be blind my eyes allow me to see a great deal more than you. The spirits have been speaking to me. They speak of an enemy our nation cannot hope to defeat. Our only chance is to flee, but they will not allow such actions. We still need help from an old enemy. We need the Mews."_ When I asked them what a silly group of teenage Earthlings could do…no offense," Ichigo ignored the jab at her and her friends, "they told me that Sensana had had a vision. In that vision she saw five pure orbs of light, yellow, green, purple, blue, and pink in color. Those lights were hovering over a white slab of marble beneath the moonlight. Snow began to fall and suddenly those orbs began to bleed. She said that the vision meant that we needed to use the Mews as blood sacrifices."

"And you agreed." Ichigo finished for him icily. She knew it. She knew he never gave a damn about any of them.

'No I did not." Pai replied just as coldly, "I told them out right that I would never hurt you girls again, under any circumstances. But then…" Pai trailed off, his mouth suddenly dry. He took Arnes' hand in his, squeezing it tightly as if contact with her could make the story easier. He looked as if he was suffering from a monstrous burden, "Then they threatened my family. As I was about to leave Genri called after me in a sickeningly smug voice. He said, _"Your wife, Arnes, right? She's with child?"_ That caused me to pause, and then he said, _"It would be a shame if something went wrong."_ I was livid." Pai seethed, "I couldn't believe he was actually threatening my family…I…I, without a second thought I attacked him, but he had the tables turned in an instant with me against the floor and a knife at my throat. He said that I owed him my worthless life and that if I didn't do as instructed I wouldn't have a family to return home to at the end of the day."

"So you agreed to save Arnes and the kids." Kish summed up.

"Yes Kish, but when he said family he meant you and Tart as well. Tart was defenseless without being able to use his powers, and at the time you were in a coma in the healing ward after your group had been attacked, so yes, I begrudgingly agreed. When he no longer had me at knifepoint I asked him and Sensana why. Why us when there were surely others who could do the task. Sensana told me out of courtesy. It was the Mews who had defeated Deep Blue and given us the Mew Aqua. You Mews are actually greatly respected for the bravery and altruism you showed against the ruler of our nation. Our customs demand that we respect that. Therefore, they wanted you to be in the company of familiar faces. She said that though they regretted what was going to happen, they wanted each of you to feel safe. That's why I was told not to tell any of you what was really going on, including my own brothers. That's why I put together that story to tell all of you, and because they were keeping my precious family as collateral, that's why I played the role of _cooaraur rlossoghom_…" Pai sighed, raking his fingers through his hair as he looked at each and every one of them, "And I am so sorry. I know my apology doesn't fix anything, but the regret has eaten away at me every day."

Ichigo looked him up and down once more. She took in the sunken eyes, his almost skeletal form, the scar running the length of his face, and his unkempt hair. She didn't want to, but because of her stupid compassionate heart, she felt bad for him. For him, her former enemy, for the one whose one decision caused Berry and Tart's death? Because of his decision, the rest of them soon might follow. She may never get to see her family or friends ever again, yet her heart still reached out for him. She wanted nothing more than to be able to wrap her arms around him and give him a reassuring hug as Arnes was currently doing, but she fought that impulse.

"What happened when we ruined your plans?" She asked instead, fighting to keep her tone flat.

Pai pulled himself out of Arnes' embrace, but entwined his fingers in hers.

"I was beyond terrified when you made your escape. Initially it was for all of you. I couldn't understand what you could possibly be thinking. None of you knew how to fly. Then I thought you had all decided to commit suicide, and my concern immediately jumped to Arnes, Kou, and Annon. What would Genri do to my family if I didn't return with all of you? So, abandoning the ship entirely I teleported out to where you were at. I was momentarily shocked that Tart and Kish were aiding in your escape, but I quickly shook off my shock. It was easy to catch Mint and Pudding first… I didn't know she could transform like that."

"Neither did we." Ichigo replied.

"I easily caught up with them and managed to knock the two of them out, then I somehow managed to catch up to Tart, Zakuro, and Lettuce. Lettuce… she looked so terrified… her eyes were so wide… and she was screaming. I struck her first just because I couldn't bear to hear her so scared. Tart tried to teleport away, but I, I was reacting purely on instinct…I kicked him in the gut, my own brother, I kicked him so he couldn't get away from me…"

Kish frowned but said nothing.

"I caused him to drop Zakuro. She's one hell of a fighter. While free falling she managed to transform and lashed out at me with her whip. That's how I got this." Pai gestured to the scar that spanned the length of his face, "I let go of the others that I was holding to take her on. I figured I could manipulate the wind to cushion the fall when we got closer to the ground. We were still so high up. She fought me for a while, but her movements were hesitant. She was worried about hitting the others. I used that to my advantage and took her out before Tart flew back in to attack me. We grabbled in the air for a while, but eventually I was able to best him too. I beat them with enough time to cushion the fall as the ground approached. As I was looking over their still forms I realized that you, Ichigo, and Berry were missing. I frantically looked for you in the sky, but I knew it was too late. You had already teleported the two of them to somewhere I wouldn't be able to find you. You knew the planet better than I did after all.

"At that point, I'm ashamed to say, I completely lost it. Every horrible situation I could possibly imagine ran through my head. What if Genri already knew I had failed and already slaughtered all of those dear to me? What if his form of punishment would be to make me watch as he tortured then killed them? I'd never even had a chance to hold Annon…

"Well, my powers went out of control. I rendered the entire field we had landed in into a sea of flames, except for the little bubble in which we landed. I don't even remember what happened from there. The next thing I remember was being encircled by a barren wasteland with the four Mews and my own brother out cold around me. They didn't seem like they'd be waking any time soon, so I gathered them all together the best I could and teleported to the village. I was desperate to make sure you and the kids were all right." Pai continued, speaking mostly to Arnes, "I dumped the Mews and Tart on Genri's door step before teleporting to you. I shouldn't have left Tart. I should've brought him with, but as you saw, I wasn't in my right mind at the time…"

"It's completely understandable." Arnes assured him.

"Eventually I had to appear before Genri and Sensana again." Pai sighed, "After holding Annon, and Kou, and spending a brief wonderful moment with my family, I returned to the Lord's palace. The Mews and Tart had already been apprehended… I was ushered into a room he had fashioned into a throne room, complete with a mighty throne." Pai said with disgust, "I waited until his Lordship could grace me with his presence. When he entered, he sat at the throne, and Sensana stood dutifully at his side as armed guards flanked the entire room. He told me that he was not pleased with me, that I was ordered to bring him all the Mews and asked where you were. When I could not give him an answer he grew angry. He asked me to explain, so I told him everything, about the flight in, your escape, and how I managed to get all but two of you. Sensana interrupted then. They didn't know about Berry, but apparently she didn't matter. Her vision had only seen—."

"The original five." Ichigo growled venomously.

Pai nodded.

"So was your honor taken because of this failure?" Kish asked.

Pai reached up absently to brush his fingers through the uneven patch of grey hair.

"Yes." He finally answered.

"His honor?" Ichigo repeated.

"The way we wear our hair is a symbol of honor." Kish explained, "For a warrior it's a mark that they can lead their people and shoulder a heavy burden. Each specific hairstyle is done in a way that marks that waulrinswi's accomplishments. For Pai, it was being the youngest war general appointed to the _Maulosoau_ in centuries."

"King Deep Blue's royal guards." Arnes translated for Ichigo.

"But once that's been cut away, there's nothing." Pai said bitterly, talking over Arnes.

"There's one more thing you haven't told us." Kish commented.

Pai cast him a confused look.

"Why was Tart executed? It can't only be due to aiding the Mews."

"He betrayed the waulrinswi." Pai tried to explain.

"No, it's more than that." Kish pressed, "We haven't had an execution like that since the end of the _Desc Arar_ when Shalylo used dark magic to commit mass genocide of the _Pherphlu_ race and the various other heinous crimes he committed."

No one was bothering to translate for Ichigo now. Her eyes flicked between them. They all looked uneasy. Whatever Kish was talking about must've been terrible.

"Genri said that Tart's crimes were on the same level." Pai replied, "Well, Sensana convinced him, that what Tart did was treason. Because of him our entire race could be wiped out."

"No, it still doesn't make sense." Kish argued.

"He also used his powers when he was forbidden."

"No." Kish repeated, getting up and pacing, "There was more than that… I can feel it."

Pai looked at Kish in bewilderment.

"What do you mean you can feel it?" Arnes asked confused.

"Genri's a _shesc err_, but he's not stupid. He doesn't do anything without reason."

"Without reason? Kish, what more reason did he need? All he needed to say was that Tart had condemned our people to a fate worse than death. He didn't need more of an excuse than that." Pai said.

Kish looked as if he wanted to argue, but seemed to think better of it. He continued pacing, however, his mouth set in a frown. His eyes narrowed in concentration.

Ichigo studied him confused. There was something more he was hiding. Why couldn't he ever be straight with them?

"What are you hiding Kish?" She suddenly demanded.

Pai and Arnes looked up at her in surprise. Kish suddenly froze, his large golden eyes meeting hers.

"What?" He breathed.

"What are you hiding?" Ichigo repeated.

"Nothing." Kish said. It was almost convincing, but Ichigo picked up on how his pitch had suddenly risen. She glared at him, but he refused to answer, only meeting her gaze with a falsely innocent expression.

Groans began to resound from the doors surrounding the medical ward.

"They're coming to." Kish said, glancing around, "You and Arnes should probably head to bed." He told Pai.

"What are you going to do?" Pai asked, looking back and forth between Kish and the doors warily.

"I'm staying with Ichigo." Kish replied.

"Oh no you don't. I don't trust you." Arnes frowned.

"It's fine." Ichigo spoke up.

"Ichigo," Arnes began.

"It's fine." Ichigo cute her off, "Kish and I have been in the same hideout for weeks. If he didn't try anything then he's not going to try anything now."

Kish beamed at her.

"Are you sure?" Arnes asked.

Ichigo nodded.

Arnes chewed on her lip looking as if leaving Kish alone with Ichigo was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Arnes it's fine. Kish has harassed her, but he'd never actually harm her in any way." Pai assured her.

"Alright…" Arnes relented, "but if he tries anything just yell. We're right upstairs."

"Thank you." Ichigo replied.

Pai stood up and helped Arnes to her feet.

"We'll see you in the morning… I hope." Pai said rather solemnly.

"Genri won't be taking us anywhere." Kish assured him.

"You don't know him like I do." Pai grumbled, and with that, he left the room with Arnes after the two of them had bid them goodnight.

"So, since you don't seem to mind me in the room with you, how about…" Kish began playfully, climbing back into Ichigo's bed. Ichigo elbowed him hard in the chest, causing him to lose balance and fall over the edge of the bed.

"Ouch! What the hell?" Kish exclaimed.

"Get your own bed." Ichigo replied painfully, clutching her ribs. The movement had been a bad idea, even if it was well deserved.

"Oh come on. You didn't seem to mind all those nights we cuddled together on the couch." Kish pouted.

"You're hiding something." Ichigo stated, ignoring his previous statement.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Ichigo drop it!" He suddenly yelled angrily.

Ichigo's eyes widened. The two of them stared at each other for a moment.

The doors slammed open, and guards rushed into the room. All of them looked the same. They wore a full-faced helmet with the only openings being for the eyes, plain grey pants as well as matching boots. They would've been topless if it weren't for some kind of plated tunic they wore over their shoulders with some sort of emblem emblazed on the front and shoulders. Each of them held a round shield and wicked looking spears that glinted in the flickering light.

"What?" Kish snapped at them.

The guards ignored Kish as they advanced on the two of them.

Ichigo felt uncomfortable. It felt as if she was being scrutinized by hundreds of eyes, searching her for something.

"She's still here?" One of the guards, a burly waulrinswi near the front asked.

"What does it look like genius?" Kish responded sarcastically.

"We didn't know. For some reason we all woke up on the ground." He responded.

"It's not my fault you're incompetent."

Ichigo snorted, causing the guard to look at her. She quickly schooled her expression so that she was glaring coldly at him.

"We came in when we heard yelling." The guard continued.

"Ok." Kish replied, crossing his arms. He stood defiantly before them, reminding Ichigo of an arrogant teenager challenging their parents silently to a battle of wits.

The guard's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet.

"We'll be staying in the room then. I suggest you head to bed." He told Kish.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Kish nearly growled.

The guard searched them both with his eyes again, as if expecting one of them to suddenly explain what was going on, but when both remained silent, he merely ordered the rest of the guards to line the expanse of the room and to make sure that neither of the original two occupants left.

Kish rolled his eyes when things had settled down a little.

"I'm not letting you off the hook Kish." Ichigo whispered, hoping they wouldn't be overheard, but it was probably a pointless endeavor. The waulrinswi had much better hearing than humans.

"Ichigo, I honestly don't want to talk about it." Kish replied, again sitting down on her bed, though he eyed the guards cautiously.

"He's done something to you hasn't he?" Ichigo pressed, "Something other than hurting your brothers."

Kish refused to even acknowledge her with an answer.

"Why are you keeping secrets?" Ichigo hissed.

"Because it's my business." Kish retorted, "Now get some sleep. You need the rest and we have a storm brewing ahead."

Ichigo opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it. What right did she have to pry into Kish's business any way? Frowning, she nestled back against the bed of moss, pulling the blankets a little higher.

"I thought I told you to get your own bed." She hissed when Kish settled down next to her, wrapping an arm around her middle.

"I don't trust these guys." Kish replied.

"Well then sit at the foot of the bed like a good guard dog." Ichigo retorted.

Kish merely chuckled but stayed right where he was, eyes constantly scanning the room around them.

Ichigo huffed in annoyance before closing her eyes, but her brain wasn't about to let her rest. Behind her closed lids were images of fires burning, Kish pulling Tart's charred body from the fray, Berry, wide-eyed looking down at her chest where it was caked in crimson blood…

Ichigo gasped, opening her eyes immediately, tears suddenly welled up and leaked from the corners of her eyes. How was she supposed to sleep with their deaths so fresh in her memory?

With a muffled sob, she rolled over so that her face was pressed firmly against Kish's chest.

He stilled for a moment in surprise.

"Kitty Cat?"

Ichigo didn't respond as she continued to cry quietly, pain wracking her body with each sob.

Kish's long fingers brushed through her hair as he wrapped his other arm around her so that he was cradling her to him.

"There's no shame in crying Ichigo, it's ok." He whispered to her as he held her.

Ichigo only sobbed harder, a hand coming up to grip his shirt.

"I'm sorry." He whispered over and over to her until exhaustion finally took its toll, carrying her into a fretful slumber.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm alive! I am so sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait!


	14. Prison Break

Chapter 13

Prison Break

She was out in that field once more. Fire raged around her in every direction, its smoke creating a heavy curtain between her and any other person. Over the roar of the flames, she could hear screaming all around her, pounding against her eardrums to the point where it was almost deafening.

Ichigo blinked soot and ashes out of her eyes. She was here for something, but she couldn't remember what

A loud scream ripped through her like a bolt of lightning.

Jumping, Ichigo whirled around. Berry had appeared out of no where, her white gown dyed crimson in her own blood. There was a large gaping hole in her chest where Ichigo could clearly see her heart pumping blood through deceased arteries as well as out and over onto the girl's body.

"Berry?" Ichigo gasped.

"Why?" Berry croaked.

Ichigo's bottom lip trembled as the corpse started walking towards her on jarring limbs.

"How could you let this happen to me?' The corpse repeated, advancing on Ichigo, "You promised to protect me! To protect all of us!"

"Stop!" Ichigo cried, throwing a hand out in front of her, "I tried! I'm so sorry! I tried!"

"Oh, but you didn't try hard enough." A soft, playful voice said from behind her.

Ichigo froze as she felt two small hands ghost over her waist, followed by arms that hooked around her middle.

Eyes blown wide in terror. Ichigo shifted to glance at the being behind her. It was Tart, alive and whole, his arms wrapped around her middle with his small head resting against her shoulder.

"Tart?" Ichigo breathed.

He smiled playfully at her.

"It's all well and good as long as you and Kish are ok." Tart continued, but something was terribly wrong.

"Tart?" Ichigo repeated, then gasped as his arms took on a vice-like grip.

"The rest of us can die as long as the two of you are safe."

Ichigo opened her mouth to retort that that wasn't true, that she had tried to save them, protect them, what did she try to do?, but the words stuck in her throat as another scream ripped through her. Before her eyes Tart was burning! Pale skin quickly withered away to black before the skin seemed to peel off all together, melting away from the latticework of pink muscle underneath. This too was consumed by the flames, leaving nothing but charred remains. One of his eyes pushed out of its sockets, hitting against her arm before it fell to the ground.

Ichigo's scream increased in volume as blackened, crumbling hands gripped her by the shoulders.

"NO!" She cried, trying her best to twist out of them, "Let go of me!"

"ICHIGO!"

"Oh come now, Kitten, don't be that way. Take a good look, after all, this is your handy-work." The corpse of Tart whispered to her.

"NO!" Ichigo cried again.

The hands tightened on her. They were shaking her.

"ICHIGO!"

With a gasp Ichigo lurched into consciousness, rapidly blinking away tears. She could make out a faint orange glow that rose into a black abyss above her. Instantly thinking it was the fire, Ichigo screamed loudly. She flung herself backwards, hitting her head against something hard. Ichigo groaned loudly as her head rang like a gong, white splotches dancing across her vision. Something warm instantly cupped her cheeks, holding her head in place.

Slowly, her eyes began to focus. She could make out a messy blur of green and gold against the glow of the orange fire. The outline of a face soon followed before she could clearly see Kish before her, his golden eyes wide with worry.

"Kish?" She murmured as if she wasn't quite sure he was there.

"I'm here Ichigo." He murmured in response, as if he could read her mind. He gently wiped her unshed tears away with the pads of his thumbs, "Are you alright?"

"It's all my fault…" Ichigo breathed, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

Kish frowned, "What's all your fault?"

"That Tart and Berry are dead! If it wasn't for me, both of them would still be alive! Both of them would still be alive and none of us would be in this situation right now!" Ichigo sobbed.

Kish's frown deepened.

"I should never have trusted you! Any of you!" Ichigo suddenly cried.

Kish leaned forward to the point where their noses were touching, his eyes locking onto hers with a penetrating gaze. Ichigo gasped at the intimacy of the contact; her cheeks reddening in the process.

"Get a hold of yourself." Kish said in a low voice, "You aren't going to believe me, but none of this is your fault. You may like to think you had a choice in the matter, but you never did. Genri and Sensana would've gotten all of you here one way or another. Maybe there were actions that could've prevented Tart and Berry's death, but it does us no good to focus on the "what-ifs". It happened. They're dead. There's nothing you can do about it."

Ichigo ducked her head, biting her lip as more tears spilled out over her cheeks.

"However," Kish continued, "Your girls are still counting on you. They need you to be strong for them now. If you allow depression to consume you, then you'll become a liablility."

"I'm not a liability for mourning over my friends." Ichigo hissed through clenched teeth.

"You are if you can't move past it."

"And how exactly do you suggest I do that?"

"By breaking your friends out." Kish replied.

Ichigo blinked in shock before returning her gaze to meet Kish's.

"How?" She asked in a small voice.

Kish glanced around. Guards still lined the room, but while they didn't look particularly attentive, Ichigo could tell they were still focused enough on her and Kish.

Smirking, Kish reached into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" One of the guards suddenly called.

Kish withdrew his hand, the flickering of the flames glancing off of something gold.

"You didn't-" Ichigo began.

"Hands where I can see them!" The same guard yelled, advancing on the two of them.

"Use it wisely." Kish winked, placing the small oval-shaped pendant in her hand before taking to the air and vanishing.

"Where did he go?" The guard gasped, stopping short next to Ichigo.

"No idea…" Ichigo muttered as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. She inhaled sharply as her injured limbs protested against the sudden movement.

"Mew Ichigo, you should stay in bed." The guard cautioned gently, laying both hands on her shoulders as though he were about to tuck her back in.

Ichigo brushed his hands aside.

"I've been in bed for long enough." She replied.

"You're still injured." He protested.

Ichigo smiled weakly at him.

"I'm sorry." She said.

The look of confusion barely had time to register on the guard's face before she delivered a well aimed punch to his solar plexus, pushing the air from his lungs. He gave a broken gasp before crumpling at her feet.

"You'd think in a society that has both male and female warriors they wouldn't let their guard down around a little girl." Kish commented dryly, suddenly at her side again.

"Says the guy who had his ass kicked by this little girl." Ichigo replied tonelessly.

"Can't argue with that."

"Did you take out the rest of the guards?"

"See for yourself."

Ichigo scanned the room. Sure enough, the waulrinswi who had been standing guard were knocked out cold, and slumped against each other.

Ichigo turned back to Kish, holding her pendant between her thumb and forefinger.

"When did you get this?" She asked.

"While you were asleep. Told the guards I had to use the restroom and knocked out the guy they sent to watch me. It's weird," Kish frowned, "Less than half a year ago I couldn't even take one member of the royal guard. Now it's as if their movements are slow and predictable."

Ichigo chose to ignore his musings as she turned her pendant over in her hand. Like Kish said, she had to be strong right now. The rest of her team was counting on her.

"Were you able to get the rest?" She asked, indicating the pendant.

Kish patted his pocket.

"All here. The security for them was disappointingly lax."

"And when we do break them out, where will we go?" Ichigo asked.

"Back to the cave." Kish replied easily.

"But what about Pai and Arnes and the kids?"

"We'll take them with."

But Ichigo was already shaking her head.

"No, we'll never make it far with two children and an army against us, and the Waesf Aleurs out there."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Ichigo folded her arms, glaring at the floor as she raked her brain for an idea.

"We'll break the other Mews out and give them back their pendants." She said slowly, "I'll feel much better if they're able to defend themselves."

"Then what?" Kish prompted.

"Then we find Genri and devise an offensive plan against the Waesf Aleurs. I don't intend to sit around until the next attack."

"And he doesn't intend to actually work with you!" Kish exclaimed, "Ichigo, if you even try going to him, he'll just lock you and all the other Mews up again! Hell, he might even decide Pai's family was involved and kill them all!"

"Well we don't exactly have an escape shuttle we can run to!" Ichigo countered.

Kish was silent for a moment before exclaiming, "We might not need one!"

"How in hell do you figure that?"

"The Mew Aqua!"

Ichigo laughed derisively, "The Mew Aqua got you into this mess! What makes you think it'll work now?"

"Because the Mews will be the ones operating it."

Ichigo snorted, but Kish held up a placating hand.

"Listen, I know it's a long shot, but hear me out. The Mew Aqua gave you the power to defeat Deep Blue. It had enough power to direct us here, and as far as I know, it still works. It's an abundant source of power, and most likely what Sensana hopes to invoke with a blood sacrifice, but why is she so sure it'll work?"

Ichigo raised a brow.

"Because it'll be infused with the power of the Mews!" Kish exclaimed, "Don't you see? Your magic is what brings that thing its full potential, and I'll bet you anything that the five of you can use it to make a portal back to Earth!"

Kish's eyes were wide with excitement, as if he'd finally been able to unravel a great mystery.

"Those are a lot of "what-ifs" Kish." Ichigo sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. She grimaced when her shoulder throbbed painfully, "That's assuming that all you say is true and that you know the location of the Mew Aqua." But inside, she was beginning to feel the fleeting stirrings of hope. Maybe there was a way back home after all! Perhaps she would still be able to see her mother and father again!

"Maybe." Kish agreed solemnly, "But right now, this is a better plan than turning yourself over to Genri. Besides, I think I have a pretty good idea where the Mew Aqua is being kept."

"Where?"

A groan from the guard at Ichigo's feet caused them both to jump.

"I'll explain on the way!" Kish promised before picking her up bridal-style and dashing from the room.

Ichigo felt as if the breath had been completely knocked out of her; as if her skin was straining to stay on her muscles and bones, and then, suddenly, they were completely out of the building and on the roof. Ichigo sucked in air greedily as Kish set her down.

"I hate traveling like that." Ichigo groused, holding onto Kish's shoulder for support.

"I know, I'm sorry." Kish replied, "Alright, can you see that small circle over there?"

Ichigo glanced up at him to see him pointing in a direction off to their right. She followed his finger in the direction he was pointing, but could only see the flickering of torch lights against the black night's sky.

A gentle breeze picked up, carrying with it the smell of precipitation.

"I don't see anything." Ichigo answered.

"It's towards the outskirts of the village, but still surrounded by buildings. It's kind of blue in color."

Ichigo squinted into the distance, trying to find what Kish was talking about, but she still couldn't see anything.

"You're night vision is better than mine." She finally sighed.

"That's because you're not transformed." Kish realized, "Any way, the prison is in that direction. We need to get going though. They've noticed we're gone." He held out his arms to Ichigo.

"Can't we just teleport or something?" Ichigo groaned.

"Not unless we have a seal of military clearance to get past the magical barrier they have up." Kish explained, "Come on! We've got to go!"

Reluctantly, Ichigo stepped back into Kish's arms and allowed him to pick her up before hooking her arms around his neck. Kish adjusted his hold to make sure she was secure before taking off again.

Ichigo again felt suffocated by the intense burst of speed, almost like her lungs were shriveling up due to their inability to expand with oxygen, and then she hand Kish were standing over a large pit in the ground that crackled with light blue magic across the top.

"Ichigo?" Four surprised voices called.

Ichigo fell to her knees at the edge of the prison.

"Pudding! Lettuce! Zakuro! Mint!" She called, trying to squint through the bright blue magic to see her teammates.

"Kish! How do we get them out of here?"

"The magic is connected at two ends." Kish explained, "We'll need to destroy it at the same time then move quickly. They'll know as soon as the barrier's broken."

"Where exactly?"

A hair raising shriek split the air. Ichigo nearly jumped out of her skin. Wide-eyed, she scanned the area to the best of her ability, but all she could see were the shadowed outlines of buildings against the brilliant blue of the barrier.

"What was that?" She gasped as Pudding whimpered below.

Kish stood stalk still, his ears straining to pick up on anything.

"I don't know." He finally replied, "I'll take a quick look, see what I can see from the sky. Find one of the connection points."

"But I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

"You'll know it when you see it!" Kish called hurriedly, before taking to the sky.

Ichigo jumped to her feet, glancing frantically at the barrier before her. She couldn't see anything other than the stark contrast of the blue against the dying grass.

"I'll know it when I see it." She repeated softly to herself before taking off at a run around the perimeter of the hole. She kept her eyes glued to the ground as she ran looking for something, anything, that would indicate some sort of magical presence.

"We have to hurry!" Kish yelled, landing across the prison from her, "The Waesf Aleurs are attacking! It looks like there's hundreds of them!"

Ichigo's heart thundered in her chest at the thought of those monsters swarming the village. She redoubled her efforts, ignoring the cries of the other Mews who were asking about the attackers. There would be plenty of time to explain later, but right now they were sitting ducks.

Ichigo pulled out her pendant and quickly transformed. Her sudden increase in vision almost caused her to miss it, but there it was, a small slab of white stone with a jagged rune carved into the middle of it.

"Kish I found it!" She yelled, skidding to a stop before it.

"On my signal pour as much of your magic into it as you can!' Kish instructed.

"What's the signal?" Ichigo called back.

"Now!" Kish yelled.

Slightly flustered, Ichigo swung her katana down at the rock, focusing all of her will power into breaking the damn thing. The blade collided with the rock where a protective wave of magic surged forth in an attempt to block it, but it might as well have been tissue paper. Her katana sliced cleanly through it, splitting the rock straight down the middle until it became imbedded in the ground.

Ichigo shielded her eyes as the blue barrier hissed then transcended into a blinding white. The next thing she knew it was gone, and an odd stillness hung in the air.

Suddenly Kish was at her side, gripping her arm painfully.

"Ow! Kish!" Ichigo complained, but he was already pressing objects into her hand.

"Get these to them now. We've got company."

Ichigo quickly looked up at him. His face was ashen, a thin sheet of sweat graced his brow. Even his breathing was haggard, but what worried her was how scared he looked.

Slowly, Ichigo glanced around, expecting the waulrinswi army to have caught up with them already. Her blood turned to ice. How could she have not seen them before? Surrounding them, as silent and black as the night were Waesf Aleurs ranging in size. Most clung like overgrown spiders to the sides of the buildings while others were emerging from within the shadows, shimmering into existence.

"Kish?" Ichigo squeaked in terror.

"Shh, I'll hold them off." Kish murmured, his eyes constantly moving as he took in their positions. None of them seemed to be moving, just watching them intently, "Get the girls to the roof tops. Now go!'

He pushed her over the edge.

Yelping, Ichigo flipped in mid air before landing catlike at the bottom of the prison.

Instantly she was suffocated by four pairs of arms.

"Ichigo!"

"What's going on?"

"Who's attacking?"

"How did you find us?"

"Where's Berry?"

"Whoa!" Ichigo yelled to halt the barrage of questions, "First thing's first." She opened the hand Kish had shoved objects into and began distributing their pendants.

"Transform now. Mint, can you get us one at a time to the top of that building?" She pointed blindly up to one of the intimidating shadows above.

"No, I'm only strong enough to carry Pudding." Mint replied, "Ichigo, what's going on?"

"No time to explain." Ichigo said quickly, "Get Pudding to the top of that building and give us as much cover fire as you can. GO! NOW!"

Nodding, Mint and Pudding quickly transformed before Pudding climbed onto Mint's back and she took off.

From above, Ichigo could already hear the sound of Kish's blades whistling through the air, followed by the sounds of growling and snarling.

"Ichigo, what's up there?" Lettuce whimpered.

"Something terrifying." Ichigo replied grimly, "Transform now and prepare to fight for your life. Their fleshy underside is where they're most vulnerable. Get to the top of that building as quickly as you can.'

"Ok." Zakuro nodded, "This way." She took off at a run for the wall of the prison. Ichigo hadn't seen it on her fall down, but there was a ledge that spiraled around the entire perimeter, leading to the outside world.

Zakuro and Mint transformed as they ran, but Ichigo was feeling more and more terrified with each step. The last time she'd faced off with the Waesf Aleurs, Berry had died. Images of the girl swam in the forefront of Ichigo's mind. Blood, there was so much blood. Staining the girl's chest and dribbling from the corners of her mouth. She glanced in fear at Zakuro and Lettuce. Would it be one of them next? Was she going to fail all of them?

Ichigo quickly swiped the tears away as they reached the surface, jumping almost immediately to avoid the Waesf Aleur that lunged at them. It missed, falling with a sickening crunch to the bottom of the prison. She barely registered the startled gasps from Zakuro and Lettuce before another one was upon them.

Ichigo jumped over the tail that swiped at her, summoning her katana to her hand.

"GAH!" Lettuce cried.

Ichigo whirled around. A Waesf Aleur had its jaw sunk deep into Lettuce's left side.

"No!" Ichigo roared, her katana glowing as her magic pooled into the blade. Acting on instinct, she brought her weapon down across the Waesf Aleur's neck. To her surprise, it cleaved the creature's head right off.

Lettuce cried out as she fell backwards, the Waesf Aleur's jaws still attached in rigor mortis.

"Zakuro cover us!" Ichigo yelled as she fell to her knees beside Lettuce. Her entire left side was stained a bright crimson, her hands pushing frantically at the head still attached to her.

"Hold on Lettuce!" Ichigo cried, hooking one hand under the top jaw and doing the same to the bottom. With strength she didn't know she had, she was able to wrench the jaws apart.

Lettuce screamed as the movement ripped her sensitive skin even more before subsiding into pained whimpers, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ichigo bawled, throwing the head aside as yellow blood seemed to splatter everywhere.

Streaks of purple flashed through the air as Zakuro's whip made a larger perimeter around them, somehow keeping the monsters at bay.

Ichigo hovered over Lettuce, not sure what she should do. The wounds were already festering due to some sort of poison. Lettuce's face was as white as a sheet, a damp sheen of sweat sticking to her skin.

"Ichigo I need your help!" Zakuro cried.

Ichigo quickly pressed Lettuce's hands against the wounds.

"Keep as much pressure on those as possible!" She instructed before jumping back into the fray. Focusing on how she had easily been able to slice through the last Waesf Aleur that had attacked Lettuce by focusing her power into the blade, Ichigo called upon whatever resolve that lay within her. She whirled in a flurry of movement, taking down one, two, five, seven, before her body began to scream in protest. Her previous injuries were beginning to creep back up on her, making her limbs feel like lead. It was as if she was trying to swing her weighted limbs through molasses.

"Ichigo!" Kish cried, jumping in between her and a tail that would've stabbed her through the neck.

Zakuro's whip whirled around them, knocking the surge of Waesf Aleurs back.

"Kish!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" He called, stabbing a Waesf Aleur that had managed to avoid Zakuro's whip.

A volley of arrows shot down from above. The Waesf Aleurs gave an ear splitting howl before backing off slightly at the onslaught, giving them a moment to breath.

"Kish, can you get Lettuce out of here?" Ichigo gasped.

Zakuro flung her whip out again as a Waesf Aleur tried to lunge at them. Ichigo managed to slice the front legs off another, sending it crashing to the ground where Kish promptly stabbed it through the fleshy underside of its head. Yellow blood sprayed across his feet, but he hardly seemed to notice the acid that was eating away at his boots.

Streaks of blue arrows fell around them, some lucky shots managing to connect with the soft underside of the Waesf Aleurs, but most happened to glance off their exterior, haphazardly flying in all directions.

"What about you and Zakuro?" Kish questioned as Zakuro's whip gave them another temporary barrier.

"We'll manage! Please Kish! She's bleeding out!" Ichigo cried, holding back a scream as her bad shoulder was accidently grazed by Zakuro.

Kish looked startled to find Lettuce on the ground between Ichigo and Zakuro, but he quickly bent down and picked her up. Lettuce groaned in protest, and Mint sent a well placed arrow through the neck of a Waesf Aleur that had tried to take advantage of Kish's distraction. It fell to the ground and Ichigo stabbed it through the gut for good measure.

"GO!" She yelled. Thankfully, this time Kish took to the air, making sure he was well out of jumping range for the Waesf Aleurs.

Ichigo back against Zakuro. Both girls were panting heavily; their bodies trembling with exhaustion.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Zakuro confessed, snapping her whip. Unfortunately, the Waesf Aleurs seemed to be getting smarter. They were watching her wrists, calculating the movement of her muscles when she went to strike, allowing them to back up in time to avoid the whip, then press back in closer before she could perform her next strike. They were quickly gaining ground.

For her part, Ichigo was putting all her effort into each swing, but her movements were getting sloppy. She felt like she had barely cut down one before another two were upon her. Her blade flickered, but she could tell that whatever magic she had was running out. Along with her exhausted limbs, her vision was beginning to blacken at the edges.

"There's too many of them!" She gasped.

Suddenly, something snaked around her middle, pulled taught, and the next thing she knew, she was airborne.

Ichigo screamed, flailing before she was unceremoniously caught by her ankle. Her terrified gaze was matched by Kish's for a second before it returned to the ground below.

Zakuro was still down there! She was still down there and her whip was no where to be seen until Ichigo caught the handle of it dangling from the corner of her eye. Ichigo gasped in horror. If she had Zakuro's whip then that meant that Zakuro was defenseless!

Ichigo's gaze somehow managed to lock onto Zakuro's before it happened. Zakuro stared at her with sad grey eyes, a half-hearted smile gracing her lips. She said something, but Ichigo couldn't hear her. Then, the Waesf Aleurs were upon her, and the stillness of the night was punctuated by the sounds of ripping flesh, gnashing teeth, and animalistic howls. Ichigo did the only thing she could do to block out the awful noise. She closed her eyes and screamed.

* * *

><p>AN: I am so sorry to all of my readers! I know it's been about a year since I last posted. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter although it is not edited XP. Edited version will be up ASAP. Thanks to those of you who have stuck with the story!


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